NCJ Number
95720
Date Published
1983
Length
114 pages
Annotation
National Crime Survey (NCS) victimization data for 1973 and 1981 are used to examine national trends in the criminal behavior of juveniles, youthful offenders, and adults for the crimes of rape, robbery, assault, and personal larceny (purse snatching and pocket picking).
Abstract
Data cover offense rates, offender age, number of offenders involved in each offense, weapon use in crimes, victim injury, and victim economic loss. Overall, the NCS data do not support the notion that for these crimes, juvenile crime is currently more serious at the national level than it was 9 years ago. Furthermore, available self-report and official data apparently agree that serious juvenile crime over the last 9 years has stabilized or declined. Figures, tables, and endnotes are provided. Appendixes include NCS household interview schedules, offender age in NCS data, type of crime definitions, and population base estimates. A list of 50 references is supplied. This monograph is an update and extension of a previous report, 'Juvenile Criminal Behavior in the United States: Its Trends and Patterns.'