Crime rates in America have risen dramatically over the past few years. There are a variety of theories regarding the increase in crime rates and methods society can use to reduce crime rates. Two of the most common explanations for the increase in crime rates are: 1.) society is too soft on crime, and 2.) juveniles are responsible for the increase in crime. By examining such factors as juvenile arrest rates, juveniles in custody, juvenile recidivism rates, and violent crime index offenses committed by juveniles, it is apparent that these are accurate explanations. Crime rates in America are increasing, and juveniles; along with the inability of society to place harsh enough punishments on offenders, can at least partially explain this increase.

Juvenile crime is a term that refers to all of the various offenses committed by children under the age of eighteen. Such acts are sometimes referred to as juvenile delinquency. Juvenile offenses typically include delinquent acts, which would be considered crimes if committed by adults, and status offenses, which are less serious and would not be considered crimes if committed by adults. In 1991, only five percent of the juveniles

Over the past decade, juvenile crime rates have steadily increased in every category. According to Stahl (2003), “the number of delinquency cases handled by juvenile courts increased 27% between 1990 and 1999. During this time, the number of drug law violation cases increased 169%, public order offense cases increased 74%, and person offense cases increased 55%” (p. 1). According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reports, juveniles were responsible for 16% of all arrests in 1992 (Allen-Hagen, 1992, p. 1). In a breakdown of individual crimes, the report shows that juveniles were involved in 15% of murder arrests, 16% of forcible rape, 26% of robbery, 15% of aggravated assault, 34% of burglary, 44% of motor vehicle theft, 23% of weapon violations, and 23% of drug law violation arrests (Allen-Hagen, p. 1). Many people do not associate juveniles with more serious crimes such as murder and aggravated assault; however, it is quite obvious that juveniles are becoming increasingly involved in every aspect of crime.

To better understand the view that society is too soft on crime, it is necessary to look at the rate of detention in delinquency cases. The increase in the delinquency caseload that juvenile courts handle effects the growth of the number of juveniles in the detention system, but not to the degree people may expect it to. “In 1990, juvenile courts handled 1.3 million delinquency cases. By 1999, this number had risen 27% to nearly 1.7 million” (Harms, 2003, p. 1). This 27% growth in the number of cases entering the juvenile justice system only resulted in an 11% increase in the number of delinquency cases that involved detention (Harms, p. 1). As long as the proportion of juvenile delinquency cases involving detention continues to decline, juveniles will believe that they can commit certain crimes with a low risk of receiving a harsh punishment.

To understand just how much crime juveniles are responsible for, it is necessary to compare the arrest rates of juveniles and adults. According to the Uniform Crime Reports, juvenile arrests grew at a rate almost double that of adult arrests between 1988 and 1992. The total number of juvenile arrests increased by 11%, while the total number of adult arrests increased by only 6% (Allen-Hagen, p. 1). In an effort to monitor the characteristics of violent crime in the U.S., the Violent Crime Index is included as part of the Uniform Crime Report. This index is a combination of four offenses, which include murder, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault. Based on this index, the juvenile arrests for violent crime between 1988 and 1992 increased by 47%, while adult violent crime arrests increased by 19%, with substantial differences in each of the four offenses (Allen-Hagen, p. 1). This data shows that juveniles are not solely responsible for the increase in violent crime rates; however, they are substantially contributing to the growth of violent crime rates.

The above statistics are representative of all juveniles, meaning all persons below the age of eighteen, however, it is important to understand just how young many of these offenders really are. Over half (57%) of the juvenile delinquency cases processed in 1999 involved a juvenile younger than sixteen years old at the time of referral. Com

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