Violence and Youth

In light of alarming statistics and news stories about increasing youth violence, its
important to put these reports into perspective. The majority of youth are not involved in
serious violent crime, as evidenced by the 1996 juvenile violent crime rate of 3.5 per-
cent.1

Also, research is consistently showing that a small number of juvenile offenders are
responsible for a majority
of the offenses. The
National Youth Survey Serious Juvenile Violent Crime Rate, 1996
found that only five
percent of youth
committed 83 percent of
serious crimes.2

Despite the cultures Youth arrested

tendency to focus on the for a serious
violent juvenile
poor choices of some crime
young people, one should
not overlook the fact that a
majority of adolescents are
making healthy decisions
to avoid violence.

Juvenile responsibility Source: National Crime Victimization Survey, 1980-1996, U.S. De-
partment of Justice; Uniform Crime Reports, FBI
for violence
To determine the
extent of youth violence, one should examine a number of indicators, from crime rates to
student surveys. The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (known as Add
Health), a federally sponsored study of more than 90,000 teens, found slightly more than
10 percent of males and five percent of females reported committing a violent act in the

Statistics from different sources may vary due to a multitude of factors, including differing methods of
data collection; choices of age ranges and time periods; measurements of perception versus actual partici-
pation; reporting by rates or actual numbers; and definitions of participation. Through this overview of
statistics, IYD hopes to provide the reader with a comprehensive picture of youth risk behaviors, recogniz-
ing that some specific statistics may seem to indicate inconsistent trends or levels of participation.
past year (i.e. physical fight, injured someone, group fight, threatened someone with a
weapon, used a weapon in a fight, shot or stabbed someone).3
Another measure of youth involvement in violence is the juvenile arrest rate. Un-
fortunately, from 1986 to 1995, juvenile arrests for violent crime increased by 67 percent.
In that same time, juvenile arrests increased by: 90 percent for murder and non-negligent
manslaughter; four percent for forcible rape; and 78 percent for aggravated assault.
However, despite these alarming statistics, there was a promising overall three percent
decrease from 1994 to1995 in violent crimes perpetrated by youth. Adolescents are re-
sponsible for 18.7 percent of violent crimes committed by the total population.4

Another indication of the degree of youth involvement in violence is the prevalence

of school violence. A first-ever survey of violence in public schools, released by the
White House in mid-
March 1998, found that
one in 10 American public Juvenile vs. Adult Responsibility for Crime
schools experienced Juvenile Adult
serious violence such as
rape or robbery last year. Arson
Based on questionnaire re-
sponses from principals of Aggr. Assault
more than 1,200
Robbery
elementary, middle and
high schools nationwide, Rape
the study found:
Murder
43 percent of schools
reported no incidents 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
of crime in the 1996-
Source: Crime in the United States, 1996. FBI
97 school year.
80 percent of schools
reported five or fewer crimes (both violent and non-violent).
10 percent of schools reported serious violent crimes (physical attacks or fights in
which a weapon was used, robberies, rapes or other kinds of sexual assault).

Crime was more common at larger schools and those in urban areas. In the study,
principals rated absenteeism, tardiness and fights as the three most common discipline
problems.

Characteristics of juvenile perpetrators of violence

According to the Add Health study, teens are most likely to commit violent acts if
they have been a victim or a witness to violence; carry a weapon; are involved in deviant
behavior, or sell drugs. Also, welfare recipients, younger teens, urban youth and Native
American teens are most at risk for engaging in violence.

Fifty-one percent of juvenile offenders arrested for violent crimes were white, 41
percent were black, and eight percent were another race. 5

2
 Although males still commit a majority of violent acts; evidence indicates females
are becoming more violent. From 1991 to 1995, female juvenile arrests increased 34 per-
cent, compared to a nine percent increase among male juveniles.6 Males generally
commit more violent crimes, and prevalence rates increase with age for males throughout
adolescence. In contrast, violence among female juveniles generally peaks at age 15 and
then declines.7

Juvenile victims of violence

Another aspect of violence that affects todays youth is violent victimization. The
National Crime Victimization Survey found that almost 12 percent of all adolescents
claimed to be victims of violent crime (aggravated assault, rape and robbery) in 1994.8

The number of juvenile homicide victims has increased by 82 percent since 1984,
with the majority of the increase being attributed to firearm related homicides. Firearm-
related homicides nearly tripled since
1984, while the number of homicides
Students Reporting Criminal
not involving guns remained level.
Victimization at School
(Ages 12-19)
In 1994, seven juveniles per day
were murdered. Fifty-three percent Male Female
of those were ages 15-17 and 30 100
90
percent were younger than six years 80
old. One in five of those juveniles 70
60
murdered were killed by another 50
juvenile.9 Juveniles are most likely 40
30
to victimize other juveniles (ages 12- 20
19) in other violent crimes as well.10 10
0
Any Violent Property
Other crimes of adolescent Source: Students Reports of School Crime, National
violent victimization include Center for Education Statistics

physical, sexual, and emotional

abuse by a caretaker (i.e. parents, daycare workers, etc.). According to the National
Study of the Incidence and Prevalence of Child Abuse and Neglect, 0.84 percent of chil-
dren under 18 were harmed by abuse. Of those children who are abused, half are abused
physically; one-third are abused emotionally; and one-fifth are abused sexually.11

In the school setting, victimization has remained stable since 1989. The Students
Report of School Crime: 1989 and 1995, a study of both public and private school stu-
dents released by the federal government, found the level of students who claimed to be
victims of crime at school in 1989 remained stable in 1995 (14.5 percent in 1989 com-
pared to 14.6 percent in 1995). Also, compared to1989, there was only a slight increase in
1995 in the percentage of students who reported violent victimization at school (3.4 per-
cent to 4.2 percent).12

3
Characteristics of Juvenile Victims
Juvenile victims are most likely to be boys and African American. Boys ages 12-17
are one and a half times more likely to be victims of violent crimes than girls. Also,
black juveniles are six times more likely to be homicide victims than white adolescents.13

Violent victimization rates are similar for both younger (ages 12-14) and older (15-
17) adolescents.

First participation trends and implications

Most juveniles who commit violent offenses are persistent offenders who, as they
continue to offend, eventually commit a violent act. The earlier the onset of a delinquent
career, the greater the number of delinquent offenses juveniles are likely to commit be-
fore their 18th birthday. However, the average seriousness of the offenses in a delinquent
career is not related to the age of onset.

Nevertheless, the earlier a youth commits a serious violent offense, the more likely
the youth is to continue this behavior in the adult years. The National Youth Survey
found that 45 percent of youth initiating serious violent offenses before age 11 continued
to commit violent acts into their twenties, compared with about one-fourth of those who
started at ages 11 and 12, and a lower and relatively constant proportion for those who
began such behavior at ages 13 to 17.14

Offenders under age 15 represent the leading edge of the juvenile crime problem,
and their numbers have been growing. Violent crime arrests, for example, grew 94 per-
cent between 1980 and 1995 for youth under age 15, compared with 47 percent for older
youth. As a result, the age profile of juvenile offenders has changed since 1980. Offend-
ers under age 15 accounted for an increased proportion of all juvenile arrests for violent
crime in 1995 (30 percent) compared with 1980 (25 percent).

Between 1985 and 1994 the number of delinquency cases involving juveniles age 12
and younger grew 32 percent, those involving juveniles ages 13 and 14 increased 49 per-
cent, and all other cases involving older juveniles grew 39 percent. In all three age
groups, the largest relative increases between 1985 and 1994 were in cases in which per-
son offense was the most serious charge.

The most recent juvenile arrest trends suggest that the juvenile justice system may
have turned a corner since 1994. Violent Crime Index arrests declined three percent for
all juveniles between 1994 and 1995, but dropped six percent among youth ages 13 and
14. While the significance of any single-year change should not be exaggerated, these
recent trends are an encouraging turnaround from earlier arrest trends and run counter to
predictions of increased delinquency based on the demographic trend of rising numbers
of young people.15

The link between violence, substance abuse, and sexual activity

There is significant evidence that adolescents who have violent lives are likely to
also be involved in substance abuse and sexual activity.

4
 Both junior and senior high students who reported using substances (including liq-
uor, marijuana, cocaine and inhalants) were significantly more likely to carry a gun to
school, participate in gang activities, consider suicide often, threaten someone, or get into
trouble with police.16

Other studies have examined fighting as an indicator of an adolescent being at risk

for other unhealthy behaviors. A study published in The Journal of Adolescent Health
reported that eight percent of all students were considered fighters (those who had been in
a fight in the last 30 days). However, those eight percent of students accounted for 49
percent of those who carried a
Relationship between youth firearm, 46 percent of those who
violence & substance use used cocaine, 18 percent of those
(Study of 7th Grade Boys) who drove while intoxicated,
and 25 percent of those who had
No use Beer, wine or liquor Marijuana
sex with multiple partners.17
100
Students who report easy
80 access to controlled substances
60 like alcohol and illegal drugs
were more likely to report
40 violent acts at school such as
physical attack, robbery, and
20
bullying, than those students
0 who reported little access to
Hit to hurt Gang fight Assault with controlled substances, according
weapon to the U.S. Department of
Source: Juvenile Offenders and Victims: A National Report Justice. Of students who knew of
other students attending school
drunk, 56 percent reported violent acts at their school, but of students who did not know
of peers who came to school drunk, only 36 percent reported violence.18

One study found in comparison to nonviolent teenagers, violent teenagers were two
to three times more likely to be weekly users of marijuana, alcohol and cigarettes; to have
tried cocaine; or to have used several drugs.19

The role of family in violence prevention

There is little disagreement that parents and family play an important role in whether
or not a young person is engaged in violence.

The Add Health study found that, like many other risk behaviors, youth violence is
less likely to occur if a young person feels strong connections to his or her parents and
family. Connectedness was defined as feeling loved and cared for, and a sense of satis-
faction with family relationships.20 Also, parental presence in the home was a protective
factor for older teens (grades 9-12).

5
 However, this same study also highlighted the ways in which the home environment
can increase risk for violence. Students who reported access to guns in the home were
more likely to be involved in violence.21 The Add Health survey also identified a history
of recent family suicide attempts or completions as a risk factor for youth violence.

Other research by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency has also found the
home environment influences youth involvement in violence. Childhood victims of mal-
treatment were more likely to be involved in violence as teenagers than those who had
not been. Likewise, adolescents who lived in a family where there was violence between
their parents or general family hostility were more likely to be violent adolescents. The
researchers found that exposure to multiple forms of family violence nearly doubled the
risk of self-reported youth violence.22

The IYD Approach

Given the serious consequences of involvement in violence, as well as its connection
with other unhealthy behaviors, the Institute for Youth Development (IYD) promotes a
risk avoidance message for violence to youth. Empowered by positive relationships with
family and school, young people can and should be expected to avoid violence.

Written by Kimberly Erickson

Research assistance provided by Vi Nguyen

Last updated October 1998

To receive additional copies of this publication or a list of other IYD publications that
are available, please contact the Institute for Youth Development at 703-471-8750.

1
National Crime Victimization Survey, 1980-1996. U.S. Department of Justice. Data available from:
URL: http://www.childstats.gov/ac1998/xbeh4b.htm.
2
Kelley BT, Huizinga D, Thornberry TP, Loeber R. Epidemiology of serious violence. OJJDP Juvenile
Justice Bulletin. 1997 June.
3
Blum RW, Rinehart PM. Reducing the risk: Connections that make a difference in the lives of youth. Di-
vision of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota.
4
The Federal Bureau of Investigation. Crime in the United States, 1996. 1997. Washington: The United
States Department of Justice, Uniform Crime Reporting,.
5
Sickmund M, Snyder HN. Juvenile offenders and victims: A national report. 1995 August. Washington:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
6
Ibid.,
7
Ibid.,
8
Ibid.
9
Snyder HN, Sickmund M, Poe-Yamagata E. Juvenile offenders and victims: 1996 update on violence.
Washington: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
10
Sickmund M, Snyder HN. Juvenile offenders and victims: A national report. 1995 August. Washington:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

6
11
Sickmund M, Snyder HN. Juvenile offenders and victims: A national report. 1995 August. Washington:
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
12
Chandler, KA, Chapman, CD, Rand, MR, Taylor, BM. Students reports of school crime: 1989 and 1995.
1998 March. Washington: U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Justice.
13
Kelley BT, Huizinga D, Thornberry TP, Loeber R. Epidemiology of serious violence. OJJDP Juvenile
Justice Bulletin. 1997 June.
14
Sickmund M., Snyder HN. Juvenile offenders and victims: A national report. 1995 August. Washing-
ton: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
15
Butts JA, Snyder HN. The Youngest Delinquents: Offenders under age 15. OJJDP Juvenile Justice
Bulletin. 1997 September.
16
Student use of most drugs reaches highest level in nine years [news release]. PRIDE 1996 Sept 25. sum-
mary report on Violence, Sept. 25, 1996
17
Sosin DM, Koepsell TD, Rivara FP, Mercy JA. Fighting as a marker for multiple problem behaviors in
adolescents. J Adolesc Health 1995 March; 16(3): 209-215.
18
Snyder HN, Sickmund M, Poe-Yamagata, E. Juvenile offenders and victims: 1996 update on violence.
Washington: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
19
Ellickson, P, Saner, H, McGuigan, KA. Profiles of violent youth: Substance use and other concurrent
problems. American Journal of Public Health 1997 June 87(6).
20
Blum RW, Rinehart PM. Reducing the risk: Connections that make a difference in the lives of youth. Di-
vision of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota.
21
Ibid.
22
Thornberry TP. Violent families and youth violence, Fact sheet #21. 1994 December. Washington The
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.