NCJ Number
169317
Date Published
1997
Length
52 pages
Annotation
This report presents 1995 data on juvenile victims of the following crimes in Delaware: felony assault, misdemeanor assault, harassment, homicide, kidnapping, robbery, felony sexual assault, misdemeanor sexual assault, theft, and welfare (e.g., abandonment of children).
Abstract
In 1995 there were 3,444 incidents in which juveniles were victimized in these crimes. Older rather than younger children were more likely to be victims of crime. At the low end of involvement, 5.7 percent of the incidents involved newborns to 2- year-olds; at the high end of involvement, 41.3 percent of the incidents involved 15- to 17-year-olds. Perpetrators' ages varied significantly when the age of the child was taken into account. For the newborn to 2-year-old group, more than 95 percent of the perpetrators were adults. Children between 9 and 11 were just about as likely to be victimized by an adult as by another juvenile (usually an older juvenile). For victims in the 15- to 17-year-old age group, 54 percent of the perpetrators were adults, 39 percent were by peers, and 7 percent were younger juveniles. Victimization was also examined by gender relationships. Males accounted for 76 percent and women accounted for 24 percent of the arrestees that involved juvenile victims. Gender involvement varied significantly by type of crime; males were more likely to victimize children in crimes of sexual assault and robbery, and women were more likely to victimize children in crimes related to the welfare of the child, harassment, and misdemeanor assault. Extensive tabular and graphic data