NCJ Number
113161
Journal
School Safety Dated: (Spring 1988) Pages: 4-7
Date Published
1988
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Youth are more likely to be victimized by crime and to commit and be arrested for crime than any other population segment.
Abstract
Nearly 3 million incidents of street crime took place in schools or on school property in 1986. Data from the 1986 National Crime Survey show that one in six youth between the ages of 12 and 19 was the victim of street crime as compared to one in nine adults. Theft was the most frequent crime against young people. Most such thefts involved relatively small losses, although amount of loss increased with increasing age. Only about 13 percent of all thefts were reported by youth to police. During 1986, 1 out of 18 youth was assaulted, robbed, or raped. This is about triple the violent crime rate for those aged 35 to 49 years. With the exception of rape, girls were less likely to be victims of violent crime than boys. Crimes against boys were more likely to involve a stranger, while those against girls were more likely to involve an offender know to the victim. Compared to most adults, youth are more likely to take protective action against crime and are more likely to be injured. Only a third of violent crimes against youth were reported to police. That the crime was a private matter was the major reason cited for nonreporting. The number of youth arrested for crime has risen dramatically during the 1960's and 1970's. In 1986, youths accounted for about 30 percent of all serious violent and property crime. In addition, 91 percent of high school seniors had used alcohol. Of 49,322 youth in juvenile facilities, 93 percent were held for acts that would have been criminal if committed by an adult. 2 table and 4 endnotes.