Other Violent Crime

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Other Violent Crime

Q:	What proportion of violent crimes are committed by juveniles?
A:	On average, juveniles were involved in one-quarter of serious violent victimizations annually over the last 25 years.

Percent of victimizations involving juveniles, 1973-1997

Note: Serious violent crime includes incidents involving rape and other sexual assaults, robbery, and aggravated assault. Data are collected through personal interviews with persons ages 12 and older; thus, murder is not included for obvious reasons. Data collected prior to 1992 were adjusted to be consistent with newer data collection procedures.

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The Bureau of Justice Statistics' National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) asks a nationally representative sample of persons ages 12 and older about violent crimes in which they were the victim. Since 1973, the NCVS has been a national barometer of crime trends.
According to the NCVS, in 1997 juveniles under age 18 were involved in 27% of all serious violent victimizations, including 14% of sexual assaults, 30% of robberies, and 27% of aggravated assaults.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/offenders/qa03202.asp?qaDate=19990930. Released on September 30, 1999.

Adapted from Snyder, H. & Sickmund, M. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1999 National Report, p. 63. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 1999.

Data Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics. 1973–1997 National Crime Victimization Survey data [Web site data files]. Washington, D.C.: BJS, 1998.