Law Enforcement and Juvenile Crime

For young offenders, law enforcement is often the entry point into the juvenile justice system.When a juvenile is apprehended for the first time for violating the law, it is the police officer who determines the nature of the offender's initial involvement with the justice system.Law enforcement agencies track the volume and characteristics of crimes that are reported to them. Since some crimes are never reported, however, and other crimes remain unsolved, law enforcement data alone are generally insufficient to fully assess the community's delinquencyproblem.Law enforcement agencies, however, also report arrest statistics that can be used to monitor the flow of juveniles into the justice system. These arrest statistics are the most frequently cited source of information on juvenile crime trends.This Bulletin describes the extent and characteristics of juvenile arrests. It provides arrest rates for violent and property crimes, drug and weapon offenses, and violations of alcohol, curfew, and loitering laws. Arrests and arrest trends for males and females and for diverseracial groups are compared. The Bulletin also details the characteristics of the victims and theperpetrators of homicides committed by juveniles.Using data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, this Bulletin offers the reader awealth of information on law enforcement and juvenile crime.