NCJ Number
182605
Date Published
March 2000
Length
34 pages
Annotation
The juvenile arrest rate in California per 100,000 population at risk for felony offenses declined by 30.3 percent between 1991 and 1998.
Abstract
The juvenile arrest rate was higher than the adult arrest rate every year between 1988 and 1998. During that span, the juvenile arrest rate for property offenses was generally two times higher than the adult arrest rate for property offenses. The arrest rate for felony drug offenses was three times lower for juveniles than for adults, and the arrest rate for robberies was two times higher for juveniles than for adults. The juvenile population generally had a lower arrest rate for aggravated assault than the adult population. The number of juvenile felony weapon arrests increased by 117.7 percent. Between 1990 and 1998, the juvenile arrest rate for felony weapon offenses was two times higher than the adult arrest rate. Between 1988 and 1998, the juvenile arrest rate for weapon offenses increased by 76.1 percent for males and by 172 percent for females. During the same period, the male juvenile arrest rate declined by 25.5 percent but the female juvenile arrest rate increased by 5.5 percent. In 1998, the arrest rate for the black population was 4 times higher than that of the white population, 2.2 times higher than that of the Hispanic population, and over 3 times higher than that of other ethnic groups. Of all juvenile age groups, the 16- to 17-year-old age group had the highest arrest rate in 1998, although this rate declined by 10.7 percent between 1988 and 1998. Supplemental data on juvenile felony arrest rates in California are appended. 11 tables and 13 figures