Juvenile Crime Statistics Paper
Eva Pichardo Blanco
CJA/374
March 4, 2015
Dr. Cornelius Perry
Juvenile Crime Statistics Paper
Introduction
According to the summary of the juvenile crime statistics from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service article “Juvenile Arrests 2008” (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 1), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Bulletin can help by a point of reference for juvenile justice professionals and other citizens in search of reducing juvenile delinquency (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 1). A youth under the age of 18 who commits an illegal act signifies the categorical classification group known as “Juvenile offender”.
The Overall Decrease in Juvenile Arrests
According to Puzzanchera (2009, p.1), in 2008, police officers in the U. S. attained an approximately 2.11 million of juveniles arrested were younger than 18 years of age. In 2008, there were 3% less juveniles arrested than in 2007, and the arrests of juvenile for violent crimes fell 2%, which continues to decline (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 1). Arrests of juveniles for aggravated assault decreased for male juveniles than for female juveniles between 1999 and 2008 (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 1). However, in this period, arrests for male juveniles for assault decreased 6%, and an increased 12% of female juveniles arrested. In the Violent Crime Index, it showed that juvenile offenses grew from 2004 to 2006, and then decreased within the next two years. However, in 2004 the number of juveniles arrested was less than the number of arrests since 1987 (Puzzanchera, 2009 p. 1).
The Increase in Drug Offenses and Simple Assaults
The percentage of juveniles arrested for simple assault rose 156% between 1980 and 1997, which decreased to some extent around 2002. Then the percentage rose a little through 2006. However, the decrease throughout the past two years, the percentage in 2008 was 10% lower than in 1997 (Puzzanchera, 2009). However, the tendency for simple assault, the percentage of arrests of juvenile aggravated assault decreased in the mid-1990s, dropping 43% between 1994 and 2008 (Puzzanchera, 2009).
According to Puzzanchera (2009, p. 3), about 180,100 juveniles were arrested due to drug offenses, which shows a decrease of 7% in 1999.
Implications for Juvenile Females and Members of Ethnic and Racial Minorities
According to Puzzanchera (2009, p.8), police officers made about 629,800 arrests of female juveniles younger than18 years of age in 2008. Beginning in 1999 through 2008, the arrests of female juveniles declined less than male juveniles arrested in most offense categories such as aggravated assault and burglary (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 8). However, in some categories such as simple assault, robbery, and DUI, the arrests of female juveniles rose while the arrests of male juveniles declined (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 8).
The racial structure of the U.S. youth general population ages 10 through 17 in 2008 was 78% Caucasian, 16% African American, and 5% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1% American Indian (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 9). However, some juveniles of Hispanic origin were added in the white ethnic group. On the other hand, juveniles arrested for violent crimes in 2008, 47% included Caucasian juveniles, 52% included African American juveniles, 1% included Asian juveniles, and 1% included American Indian juveniles (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 9).
The Increase in Arrests of Juvenile Females and the Decrease in Arrests of Male Juvenile Offenders for Violent Crimes
The percentage of female juveniles