Violent Juvenile Crime 1996-1999 The US Justice Dept. has issued the Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report. This fourth report in the Juvenile Offenders and Victims series synthesizes the most comprehensive information available on juvenile crime, violence, and victimization and the juvenile justice system. The 1999 National Report answers questions most frequently asked by juvenile justice professionals, policymakers, the media, and concerned citizens. Here are some of the highlights and many new facts from this over 200-page report. New Facts: • Juveniles are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime in the hour after the end of the school day than at any other hour of the day. • In one-third of all sexual assaults reported to law enforcement agencies, the victim was under age 12. One in four of these young victims were male. The offender was a stranger to the victim in just 4% of these crimes. • In 1997, about six juveniles were murdered in the United States every day. Thirty-three percent of murdered juveniles were under age 6, 30% were female, 47% were black, 56% were killed with a firearm, and 40% were killed by a family member. • Females are more likely to be murdered in their first year of life than at any other age. • One in four reported murders of juveniles in 1997 occurred in just five counties in the United States. • Even though more juveniles are being arrested and entering the justice system charged with a violent crime, the rate of serious violent crime committed by juveniles today is less than twenty years ago. • More than 1 in 4 identified juvenile murderers in 1997 were in just 8 of the more than 3,000 counties in the U.S. • In 1997, an estimated 2,300 murders (approximately 12% of all murders) in the United States involved at least one juvenile offender. In 31% of homicides involving juvenile offenders, an adult offender was also involved. • Between 1981 and 1997, while the Violent Crime arrest rate for juvenile males increased 20%, the female rate nearly doubled. • Between 1994 and 1997, the number of murders involving a juvenile offender dropped 39%. This decline was attributable entirely to a decline in homicides by firearms. • The anticipated increase in the juvenile population over the next 20 years does not necessarily imply that there will be an increase in juvenile violence. • One of every four juveniles who will come to a juvenile court charged with a violent offense will have a court record by his or her 14th birthday. • On a typical day in 1997, nearly 106,000 juveniles were being held in a residential facility as a result of a law violation. • Black juveniles are held in residential custody in the United States at twice the rate for Hispanics and five times the rate for whites. • Allowing one youth to leave high school for a life of crime and drug abuse costs society $2 million. • One-fifth (21%) of 16 year-olds who had been arrested were first arrested by the age of 12. • The proportion of youth engaging in deviant and delinquent behaviors varied significantly by age, sex, and race/ethnicity. Allowing one youth to drop out of high school for a life of crime and drug abuse costs society as much as $2 million. This information is presented in a new report released by the U.S. Department of Justice. The report includes the results of a recent study by Mark Cohen of Vanderbilt University estimating the costs imposed on society by the average career criminal. According to the 1998 study, the average career criminal will commit 68-80 crimes over a 10-year career, including 4 as a juvenile. The study considered the tangible and intangible costs borne by the victim, the expenses incurred by the criminal justice system for investigation, process and punishment of the perpetrator, and the loss of a potentially productive member of society. The total cost associated with one criminal career was estimated at $1.5-$1.8 million. That means that society would have to invest an estimated $1.3-$1.5 million today to cover the total future costs imposed by a single lifetime of crime. "It is important to note that Cohen's analysis addresses only the impact of a single career criminal," says Howard Snyder, co-author of the report. "If we were to include estimates for that criminal's share of the aggregate costs incurred by society, such as fear of crime in general, we would see an even greater amount." The study also estimates costs to society associated with engaging in a lifetime of heavy drug abuse at $200,000-$480,000. The estimated costs are similar for dropping out of high school-$470,000-$750,000. Taken all together, the total cost to society of a single individual who drops out of school and is lost to a life of drugs and crime rises to $2.2-$3 million. Society would thus have to invest $1.7-$2.3 million today to cover the future costs associated with that "wasted" life. "This analysis shows us that a single individual who drops out of school and is lost to a life of drugs and crime is incredibly expensive to society," noted Shay Bilchik, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the agency that released the report. "Two million dollars invested in prevention could save many lives and in the long run, many millions of dollars." These findings are based on the authors' adaptation of Mark Cohen's "The Monetary Value of Saving a High-Risk Youth" in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 14(1). In 1997, about six juveniles were murdered in the United States every day. Thirty-three percent of murdered juveniles were under age 6, 30% were female, 47% were black, 56% were killed with a firearm, and 40% were killed by a family member. New research reported today by the U.S. Department of Justice finds that murders of juveniles in 1997 were at their lowest level in a decade. The number of juveniles murdered peaked in 1993 at 2,900 victims and by 1997, that figure dropped to 2,100. "Although murders in general have reached a 26-year low, the number of juvenile murders in 1997 was still substantially above the level of the mid-1980's, when about 1,600 juveniles were murdered annually," says Howard Snyder, co-author of the report. "Nearly all the growth from 1984 to 1993 in juvenile homicides and all of the decline since has been in the number of older juveniles killed with firearms." The use of firearms in juvenile homicides was common in the 1990's for both black victims and white victims. Homicides of older juveniles (ages 15-17) were more likely to involve a firearm than were homicides of adults. In addition, between 1980 and 1997, 77% of juveniles ages 15 and older who were killed by another juvenile were killed using a firearm. "These data show that as a society, we have the power to turn a tragic trend around," says Shay Bilchik, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the agency that released the report. "A few years ago, our children were being murdered in unheard of numbers. Today, we can be thankful that those numbers have declined substantially, but they need to be reduced further. Even one murdered child is too many." Even though more juveniles are being arrested and entering the justice system charged with a violent crime, the rate of serious violent crime committed by juveniles today is less than twenty years ago. A report from the U.S. Department of Justice indicates that serious violent victimization in the United States reached its peak in 1993, the highest level in two decades, before falling substantially between 1993 and 1997. Violence by juveniles dropped 33% while violence by adults dropped 25%. "The decline in serious violence in this country has actually been led by a decline in violence by juveniles," says Howard Snyder, co-author of the report. "This drop in serious violence by juveniles is driven by a drop in aggravated assaults." "These data show that communities have heeded the wake-up call of earlier statistics," says Shay Bilchik, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the agency that released the report. "When the trends in juvenile violence seemed to be going nowhere but up, there was a resounding cry of 'no more' throughout the country." He continued, "Our prevention and intervention efforts clearly have had an impact and we must not back off, but instead continue with ever-increasing diligence." Between 1994 and 1997, the number of murders involving a juvenile offender dropped 39%. This decline was attributable entirely to a decline in homicides by firearms. New research reported by the U.S. Department of Justice today indicates that all of the increase in homicides by juveniles between the mid-1980's and mid-1990's was related to the use of firearms. Between 1980 and 1987, firearms were used in 54% of all homicides involving a juvenile offender. This figure continued to increase until peaking in 1994 at 82%. Males are more likely than females to kill with a firearm. Between 1980 and 1997, 73% of male juvenile offenders used a firearm, compared with 41% of females. Conversely, 32% of female juvenile homicide offenders used a knife, compared with 14% of males. "One has to wonder how many of these incidents would not have resulted in death had there been no firearm involved," says Howard Snyder, co-author of the report. "The good news is that firearm homicides by juveniles continue to decline," says Shay Bilchik, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the agency that released the report. "We have made great strides in keeping guns out of the hands of children. However, much remains to be done. The number of firearm homicides by juveniles still remains above the level of 15 years ago." These findings are based on the authors' analyses of the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years 1980-97. More than 1 in 4 identified juvenile murderers in 1997 were in just 8 of the more than 3,000 counties in the U.S. A report from the U.S. Department of Justice indicates that homicides by juveniles are concentrated in a small portion of the U.S. geographic area. Eight counties containing just 12% of the U.S. population nonetheless contained 26% of the identified juvenile homicide offenders in 1997. The cities in these eight counties are Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, New York, Baltimore, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Dallas. Over 8 in 10 counties reported no juvenile homicide offenders in 1997. Another 6% of the counties had just one identified juvenile homicide offender in 1997. "Data such as this provides critical information about where valuable but limited crime prevention and intervention resources should be devoted in order to maximize their impact," says Howard Snyder, co-author of the report. "The vast majority of communities have not experienced the 'bloodbath' of murders committed by juvenile 'super predators' that some analysts predicted. The characterization of today's youth as 'the young and the ruthless' is inaccurate and unfair," says Shay Bilchik, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the agency that released the report. "We should not let those horrible, but rare, incidents that attract media attention distort our perception of an entire generation of young people." Males were responsible for most of the growth in homicides by juveniles from the mid-1980's through 1994. • In 1995 law enforcement agencies were able to identify the offender in about two-thirds (62%) of all murders in the U.S. A juvenile was an offender in 14% of all homicides for which an offender was identified. As a result 2,300 juveniles offenders were implicated in 1,900 homicides in 1995. • Females accounted for 6% of all known juvenile homicide offenders in 1995. • Between 1984 and 1994, the number of known juvenile murderers increased 211% among males and 34% among females. • After more than a decade of increases, homicides by juveniles dropped substantially in 1995. This decline was similar among males and females. Prior to 1987 there were roughly equal numbers of white and black juvenile homicide offenders-after 1987 the majority of juvenile homicide offenders were black. • In 1995 law enforcement agencies were able to identify the offender in about two-thirds (62%) of all murders in the U.S. A juvenile was an offender in 14% of all homicides for which an offender was identified. As a result, 2,300 juveniles offenders were implicated in 1,900 homicides in 1995. • Between 1987 and 1993, the number of known juvenile murderers increased 151% among black youth and 54% among white youth. Black juveniles are held in residential custody in the United States at twice the rate for Hispanics and five times the rate for whites. Information on residents in juvenile custody, drawn from the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement and included in new research reported today by the U.S. Department of Justice, indicates that nationally, custody rates for black juveniles were substantially higher than rates for other groups. For every 100,000 non-Hispanic black juveniles in the population, 1,018 were in a residential placement facility on October 29, 1997-for Hispanics, the rate was 515, and for non-Hispanic whites, it was 204. In nearly all states, a disproportionate number of minorities were in residential placement in 1997. While the proportion of minorities in the juvenile population was 34% in 1997, the proportion of minorities committed to public facilities nationwide was almost twice that much (67%). Seven states reported minority proportions of the total population of juveniles in residential placement at 75% or greater: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, and Texas. "Examining the offense profiles for different race/ethnic groups sheds some light on minority overrepresentation," says Melissa Sickmund, co-author of the report. "A greater proportion of black, Hispanic, and Asian juveniles in residential placement were held for violent offenses than was the case for non-Hispanic whites." "Although minorities remain over represented in the population of juveniles in placement, State efforts to reduce disproportionate minority confinement are having some impact," says Shay Bilchik, Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the agency that released the report. "For example in 1991, before Federal requirements to address the problem, blacks accounted for 46% of juveniles in public long-term custody. These 1997 data show that the proportion of black juveniles in public facilities has dropped to 40%." All the growth in homicide offending by juveniles was firearm-related between 1987 and 1994-as was the 1995 decline. • Between 1987 and 1993 juvenile homicide offending involving a firearm grew 182%. In contrast, a 15% increase was seen among homicide offending involving other weapon types. • After more than a decade of increases, juvenile homicide offending dropped substantially (17%) in 1995. Nearly all of this decline was homicide offending involving firearms. Homicides known to involve juvenile offenders increased from 1984 to 1994 before declining in 1995. • In 1980 juveniles were known to be an offender in 8% of all homicides for which an offender was identified (or about 1,300). These numbers declined through 1984 when there were about 800 homicides in which a juvenile offender was involved, or 5% of all homicides. After 1984 homicides by juveniles grew both in number and in proportion to the whole. • Homicides by juveniles peaked in 1994 when juveniles were implicated in 16% of all homicides (or about 2,300) and then dropped substantially (17%) between 1994 and 1995. Conclusions Despite the hype in the media about increasing juvenile crime, the overall rate of crime committed by juveniles has been going down rather than up. Most offenders become law-abiding citizens, as they grow older. Unfortunately there will always be new juvenile offenders (and victims) entering the criminal justice system. These new young offenders will have to learn the same hard-earned lessons of their predecessors; that a life of crime ultimately leads to either long-term incarceration or early death.

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