Juvenile Violent Crime Explodes Per USDOJ-“It’s Just Kids Killing Kids”

Highlights

The data shows that the number of juveniles killing other juveniles was the highest it’s been in more than two decades. The homicide rate among persons ages 12 to 17 increased during the more recent five-year period, from 2.9 per 100,000 in 2018 to 5.4 per 100,000 in 2022.

There’s huge growth in the rate of nonfatal violent victimization for persons ages 12 to 17. It was higher in 2022 (27.4 per 1,000) than 2021 (13.2 per 1,000). Juveniles’ share of arrests for violent crimes rose in 2022.

Author

Leonard Adam Sipes, Jr.

Former Senior Specialist for Crime Prevention and Crime Statistics for the Department of Justice’s clearinghouse. Former Director of Information Services, National Crime Prevention Council. Former Adjunct Associate Professor of Criminology and Public Affairs-University of Maryland, University College. Former police officer. Retired federal senior spokesperson.

Former advisor to presidential and gubernatorial campaigns. Former advisor to the “McGruff-Take a Bite Out of Crime” national media campaign. Produced successful state anti-crime media campaigns.

Thirty-five years of directing award-winning (50+) public relations for national and state criminal justice agencies. Interviewed thousands of times by every national news outlet, often with a focus on crime statistics and research. Created the first state and federal podcasting series. Produced a unique and emulated style of government proactive public relations. 

Certificate of Advanced Study-The Johns Hopkins University. 

Author of ”Success With The Media: Everything You Need To Survive Reporters and Your Organization” available at Amazon and additional booksellers.

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Quotes

All quotes are edited for brevity.

Overview Of Crime Data

There is a comprehensive overview of crime data from this site, see Violent and Property Crime Rates In The U.S. 

Article

We’ve endlessly discussed and debated the status of juveniles within the justice system. Either traditionally or legally, juveniles (or young people in general) have received deferred prosecutions or they remain in the juvenile justice system where the “best interest of the child” is the dominant philosophy.

Advocates fiercely debate and protect leniency for juveniles and younger persons as cornerstone philosophies. Many reform prosecutors publically announced that juveniles will not be held accountable in the traditional sense; they will not be transferred to the adult system unless the crime is blatantly violent. 

The overwhelming number of juveniles stay in the juvenile system and every effort is made not to incarcerate or detain them in juvenile holding facilities. They most often stay within the family unit despite data suggesting that many family members may be responsible for abuse and neglect.

Yet in city after city, juveniles (and younger people) are increasingly involved in violence, homicides, shootings, and carjackings. Vehicle thefts (many involving juveniles) are exploding per FBI statistics.

Growth In Juvenile Violence-Wall Street Journal

US homicides by juveniles acting alone rose 30% in 2020 from the prior year. It was more than double that for killings committed by multiple juveniles according to federal data. The data shows that in 2020, the number of juveniles killing other juveniles was the highest it’s been in more than two decades.

From another Wall Street Journal article, Juvenile Crime Surges, Reversing Long Decline. ‘It’s Just Kids Killing Kids.’ Violence among children has soared across the country since 2020. One consequence: a mounting toll of young victims. The data shows that in 2020, the number of juveniles killing other juveniles was the highest it’s been in more than two decades.

It’s interesting how one piece of research dovetails into another. An article I wrote documents the extremely high numbers per age group of involvement in violent crime.

Per The FBI-National Arrests By Age-The Data

The chart below from the FBI breaks arrests down by crime and age. There are a variety of observations:

Those 16-20 have, by far, the highest numbers for homicides.

Those 16-20 have, by far, the highest numbers for sex offenses.

Those 16-20 have the second-highest number of vehicle thefts.

Those 16-20 have, by far, the highest numbers for robbery.

Those 16-20 have the third highest numbers for stolen property.

Those 16-20 have the fifth-highest number for assaults.

In addition, for those 11-15, there were 197,000 total arrests and 65,000 arrests for violent crimes.

Criminologically speaking, crime and violence have always been a young person’s game with the 16-35 age group being arrested for most violent crimes. It’s the same for total arrests.

FBI Chart (click to enlarge)

Bureau Of Justice Statistics–Nonfatal Violent Victimization Of Juveniles Returns To Prepandemic Levels

The Bureau Of Justice Statistics of the US Department of Justice created the National Crime Victimization Survey which uses a survey somewhat similar to the US census. The last “official” report from the USDOJ (released in 2023) documented huge increases for groups resulting in a 44 percent increase in violent crime per analyst Jeff Asher and The Marshall Project, the largest increase in violent crime in the nation’s history.

The USDOJ uses a survey because the vast majority of what we call crime is not reported to law enforcement.

The report below on juveniles comes from the same survey. The increases in juvenile victimizations and arrests are huge.

The rate of nonfatal violent victimization for persons ages 12 to 17 was higher in 2022 (27.4 per 1,000) than 2021 (13.2 per 1,000). 

Similar patterns were observed for persons ages 18 to 24 and those age 25 or older.

An estimated 710 persons age 11 or younger and 1,410 persons ages 12 to 17 were victims of homicide in 2022, according to the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports.

In 2022, the homicide rate was higher for persons age 18 or older (7.5 per 100,000) than for persons ages 12 to 17 (5.4 per 100,000) and persons age 11 or younger (1.4 per 100,000).

Unlike the nonfatal violent victimization rate, the homicide rate among persons ages 12 to 17 increased during the more recent five-year period, from 2.9 per 100,000 in 2018 to 5.4 per 100,000 in 2022.

Juveniles’ share of arrests for violent crimes rose in 2022, with juveniles accounting for 9.9% of all arrests for violent crime, up from 8.7% in 2021.

The percentage of persons arrested for property crimes who were juveniles increased from 2021 (8.1%) to 2022 (9.3%).

These and other findings are from BJS’s National Crime Victimization Survey, the FBI’s Supplementary Homicide Reports and the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System.

Crimes Involving Juveniles, 1993–2022

Conclusions

From the beginning of my criminological studies, I was told that those 16-35 committed the vast majority of crimes, substantiated by the FBI’s arrest chart above.

But the data on juvenile offending is shockingly high and I’m guessing that, based on numbers, their offending will continue.

I understand that we’ve all done stupid things when we were young. I understand that we should tread carefully when it comes to younger offenders. But violent juvenile crime in cities seems to be a considerable problem.

There’s concern when prosecutors or advocates publically announce that juveniles (or younger people) will not face accountability for violent acts. We may be sending the wrong message. We may be encouraging juvenile violent victimization.