OJJDP National Report Series Bulletin -- December 2001 -- Law Enforcement and Juvenile Crime

Juvenile arrest rates for larceny-theft fell in 1999 to a level lower than any since at least 1980

In contrast to the other major property crimes of burglary and motor vehicle theft, the annual rates of juvenile arrests for larceny-theft were relatively stable over most of the 1980s and 1990s

Five line graphs showing trends in juvenile arrest rates (arrests per 100,000 juveniles ages 10-17) for larceny-theft, overall and by gender and race (black, white, American Indian, and Asian), 1980 to 1999.

Larceny-theft arrest rate trends by gender and race

In the 1990s, the juvenile male arrest rate for larceny-theft fell, while the female rate grew and then fell to the levels observed at the beginning of the decade.
The black rate declined more than the white rate in the 1990s.

Data source: Analysis of arrest data from the FBI and population data from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. [See arrest rate data source note for details.]

Juvenile larceny-theft rates fell in the late 1990s

Larceny-theft is the unlawful taking of property from the possession of another. This crime group includes such offenses as shoplifting, bicycle theft, and pickpocketing—or thefts without the use of force, threat, or fraud. For juveniles, it has been the most common type of crime: in 1999, one in six juvenile arrests was for larceny-theft. The stability of juvenile arrest rates for larceny-theft over most of the last two decades stands in stark contrast to the large swings in arrest rates for other types of crimes.

Between 1980 and 1997, the annual juvenile arrest rates for larceny-theft stayed within 10% of the average rate for the period. However, in 1998 and again in 1999, the arrest rate dropped outside its traditional levels, falling in 1999 to 22% below the 1980–97 average. This decline in arrests for a high-volume offense translated into a meaningfully smaller number of juveniles entering the justice system charged with property crimes in the late 1990s.

Declines were greater for males than females and blacks than whites

Although larceny-theft arrest rates dropped for male and female juveniles in the late 1990s, the prior increases for females resulted in their 1999 rate being 11% above their 1980 rate, whereas the 1999 rate for males was 29% below their 1980 rate. From 1980 to 1999, the ratio of black-to-white arrest rates dropped from 2.3 to 1.9, reflecting a greater decline in the black rate than in the white rate (30% vs. 16% decline).

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Law Enforcement and Juvenile Crime	OJJDP National Report Series Bulletin December 2001