Juvenile Victimization: 1993-2003

Outline

Description of Data

Definitions

Overall Victimization

Violent Crime Rates per 1,000
- Declines among all age groups over 11-year period
- Strongest declines were among the youngest teens (12-14)

Teens experience a disproportionate amount of victimization
- Teens (12-17) accounted for 11% of population, but 24% of VC
- On average, teen rates were 2 ½ times higher than adults

Comparisons:
3-year average annual rates

Gender
- Males: Both groups of teens had similar declines of >50%
- Females: Decline for younger teens (-64%) was greater
   than older teens (-43%)

Robbery
- 66% drop for younger teens
- 53% drop for older teens

Aggravated assault
- 69% drop for younger teens
- 61% drop for older teens

Simple assault
- 57% drop for younger teens
- 46% drop for older teens
- difference tests at .05-level

Rape
- Decreasing sample and rarity of event resulted in broader ages
- Teens had a smaller decline than adults (-46% v. -56%)

Weapons
- More than 2 in 3 crimes against teens committed w/o weapons
- Weapons more common among older teens (25%) than younger (18%)
- Older teens 3x as likely as younger to be victim of firearm crime

Location
- More crimes against younger victims than older victims occurred
   in school (53% v. 32%)
- Older teens more likely to victimized in their home than younger teens

Relationship
- Older and younger teens equally likely to be victimized by a relative
- Younger teens less likely to be victimized by a stranger (32% v. 41%)

School Victimization

School Victimization

Theft
- Rates per 1,000 students ages 12-18
- Higher at school than away for most years

Violent crime
- Rates per 1,000 students ages 12-18
- Lower at school than away from 1992-1997
- No differences 1998-2002

Serious violent crime
- Rates per 1,000 students ages 12-18
- Lower at school than away for every survey year

Age, 2002
- Rates per 1,000 students ages 12-14, 15-18
- Younger students more likely AT school
- Older students more likely AWAY from school

Gender, 2002
- Rates per 1,000 students ages 12-18
- No differences detected

Urbanicity, 2002
- Rates per 1,000 students ages 12-18
- AT school, urban and suburban students had higher rates of theft & SV
- AWAY from school, no differences detected

Conclusions