Analysis of National Crime Victimization Survey Data To Study Serious Delinquent Behavior, Monograph One - Juvenile Criminal Behavior in the United States - Its Trends and Patterns

• NCJ Number: 74079
• Author(s): M J McDermott; M J Hindelang
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 116 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-JN-AX-0029
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Hindelang Criminal Justice Research Ctr
• Sale Source: Superintendent of Documents, GPO; National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This monograph provides a descriptive analysis of serious crimes committed by juvenile offenders and the extent to which characteristics of these crimes and offenders change over time. The analysis involved assessment of the patterns of offending between 1973 and 1977.

Abstract

Three age groups of offenders are examined: juvenile offenders under age 18, youthful offenders between ages 18 and 20, and adult offenders age 21 or older. The data are derived from the National Crime Survey, and the total annual sample of about 60,000 households represents about 136,000 individuals. Two basic questions were answered: (1) Has the raw number of victimizations by juveniles increased substantially in the 1973-1977 period? and (2) Has the proportion of offenses attributable to juveniles increased? The crimes analyzed included rape, robbery, assault, personal larceny (pursesnatching and pocketpicking), and commercial robbery. Two policy-relevant conclusions emerged. First, juvenile crime is less serious, in terms of weapons use, completion of theft, financial loss, and rate of injury, than adult crime. Second, juvenile crime did not become increasingly serious over the 5-year period studied. The total number and rate of personal crimes attributable to juveniles remained stable; most rapes were committed by adults, whereas the majority of personal larcenies were committed by juveniles or youthful offenders. Data also indicated that juveniles rather than older offenders were more likely to act in groups of three or more and that the use of weapons increased with the advancing age of the offender. Among all three offender age groups, the rate of physical injury to victims did not increase in the period studied. Juveniles were less involved in robberies of businesses than in robberies of persons. It is concluded that the significance of this empirical investigation lies in its failure to support popular opinion about the increase in the extent and seriousness of juvenile crime. Included are tables, graphs, 16 notes and references, and an appendix containing survey instruments, offender age data, and crime definitions.