NCJ Number
196356
Date Published
2002
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article is a report of the Urban Institute’s Program on Youth Justice presenting statistical information and analysis of youth crime prevalence for the 20 year period, 1980 to 2000.
Abstract
The article presents research concerning the impact of youth crime (crimes committed by juveniles and those 18- to 24-years-old) on increases and decreases in the crime rate in general. The study reflects the recognized increase in violent crime during the 1980's and earlier 1990's and the sharp decrease in violent crime rates in the mid and late 1990's; youth crime in general is believed by the authors to have driven both the increase and decrease trends. The data studied by the authors indicated that youth crime contributed to the rising crime rates leading up to 1994 and youth crime rates disproportionately drove the decrease in crime rates from 1994 to 2000. The authors recommend that additional research be performed to determine whether or not certain social factors and combinations of social factors contributed to individual youth crime waves as exhibited between 1980 and 1994. 18 charts, 3 notes, 4 references