Juvenile Delinquency

• Self report data
• Victim data

Stats acquired from official sources.

Can also be used because they show trends

Tell us that more crimes occurs in inner city with minority population

Official Statistics:

acquired from local police department around country. FBI acquires and publishes VCR yearly. Tally number of arrests made, the type of crimes and number of crimes. Also, break down crimes by age and sex.


17% arrests involve a person under 18;

• 28% of index arrest involve people
• less than 18

70% of all arrests occur in people under the age of 18

20% of index crimes occur in people under age 18

People under age of 18 = 8% of population

most serious crimes that are reported

less serious crimes

Juveniles commit the most crimes according to uniform crimes report

Unreported crimes are not being reported. Known as Dark Figured Data

Dark Figured Data: crime that is not reported

If no arrest is made there is no information on the criminal (80% of reported crimes do not lead to an arrest)

Not all crimes are enforced…police do not have the resources

Questions (Interviews, survey about crimes)

They are cross-sectional: can compare crimes from criminal groups and non-criminal groups.

You get more in-depth personal information on the perpetrator (can ask questions about any part of their life that is relevant)

The questioner decides what they subjectively believe is a good question (The researchers bias takes away the objectivity)

Consistently show that number of crimes is equal everywhere and is not a higher rate in inner cities

Prove the dark figure problem of official studies

Kids may not know it’s a crime

People may not answer questions honestly

Questions victim

Asks how many crimes committed in household, analyses characteristics of victims and observable characteristics of perpetrator

Honesty, bias of researcher

Show us that 50% of violent crimes are not reported **

The statistical likelihood of being victimized declines with a decrease in age**

Statistically males are the most victimized compared to women (boys are aggressive get involved in crimes)**

Statistically people are victimized more by people they know**

• Statistically people have higher chance of victimization during the day**
• More crimes are committed by younger people**

Number of crimes are inversely proportionate to the age crime is being committed

• Most people age-out of committing crimes
• EXCEPTION: Chronic consistent adult offender

commit crime their whole life

The younger they are the higher chance they have of being a chronic consistent adult offender