In general, crime rates increased gradually following the 1930s, until the 1960s, when the growth rate became much greater. Since then, the number of crimes has been declining. The UCR (Uniform Crime Report) finds that about 13 million arrests are now being made each year, or about 4,200 per 100,000 people. In 2010, juveniles were responsible for about 14 percent of the Part I violent crimes arrests and about 23 percent of the property crime arrests. An additional 930,000 juvenile arrests were made in 2010 for Part II offenses. While juvenile offenders continue to be over-represented in the crime rate, the number and rate of juvenile offenses has been in a decade-long decline. A great deal of juvenile delinquency is unknown to the police; these unrecorded delinquent acts are referred to as the “dark figures of crime.” In fact, when truancy, alcohol consumption, petty theft, and recreational drug use are included in self-report scales, delinquency appears to be almost universal.
Some experts predict a significant increase in teen violence if current population trends persist. Economist Steven Levitt believes that even though teen crime rates may eventually rise, their influence on the nation’s total crime rate may be offset by the growing number of relatively crime-free senior citizens. Although the number of adolescents in the population may shape crime rates under current conditions, serious social and economic conditions can alter the trajectory of delinquency.

Locate online Siegel & Welsh for the below questions!

• Prepare to engage in discussion on the following questions:
  • What is the best way to gather data on juvenile delinquency?
  • Can self-reports be trusted? 
  • Do police records reflect all the antisocial behaviors of adolescents?
  • Why might victims not report?
  • Does early intervention by the juvenile justice system encourage or discourage youthful offenders in committing delinquent acts?

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