Answer to Question 1
According to the latest data available, an estimated 12.4 million arrests were made in 2011
Of these arrests, about 530,000 were for serious, Part I violent crimes, and 1.6 million for serous Part I property crimes
The highest number of arrests were for:
o drug abuse violations (estimated at 1.5 million)
o larceny-theft (estimated at 1.2 million)
o driving under the influence (estimated at 1.2 million)
Juveniles were responsible for about 12 of all arrests
o Including about 13 of the Part I violent crime arrests and about 20 of the property crime arrests
Because adolescents ages 14 to 17, who account for almost all underage arrests, constitute less than 10 of the population, these data show that teens account for a significantly disproportionate share of all arrests
About 1 million juvenile arrests were made in 2012 for Part II offenses
Included in this total were status violations:
o 69,000 arrests for liquor law violations
o 106,000 for disorderly conduct
o 59,000 for curfew violations
Recent trends in juvenile delinquency arrests reflect the general crime rate:
o The juvenile arrest rate began to climb in the 1980s, peaked during the mid-1990s, and then began to fall; it has since been in decline
For example, arrests of juveniles for all offenses decreased 11 in 2011 when compared with the 2010 data; during the same period, arrests of adults declined less than 4
The teen murder rate, although high, has undergone a decline during the past few years
o In 1997, 1,700 youths were arrested for murder, a number that by 2011 had declined by more than half650 arrests for murder
Similarly, 3,800 juveniles were arrested for rape in 1997, falling to less than 2,000 in 2011
In all, about 52,000 youths ages 18 and under are being arrested for violent crimes and 259,000 for property crimes
Student responses will vary
Answer to Question 2
F