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Youth Indicators 1996 / Indicator 58


Indicator 58. Arrests


Number of arrests per 1,000 persons, by age: 1950 to 1993

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             Number of arrests per 1,000 persons, by age\1\
   Year    ------------------------------------------------------
           14 to 17 years\2\   18 to 24 years      25 to 34 years
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1950 .....       4.1                12.9                     9.9
1955 .....      21.2                20.0                    20.1
1960 .....      47.0                41.5                    34.6
1965 .....      75.9                52.8                    40.0
1970 .....     104.3                74.4                    44.9
1975 .....     121.3                89.5                    49.4

1980 .....     125.5               113.8                    61.4
1981 .....     130.5               119.1                    66.2
1982 .....     120.0               117.5                    68.0
1983 .....     117.3               118.3                    71.6
1984 .....     104.6               101.9                    61.6
1985 .....     118.6               117.0                    72.7

1986 .....     118.1               118.9                    73.3
1987 .....     123.1               122.8                    78.0
1988 .....     117.0               117.0                     ---
1989 .....     114.9               130.2                    82.8
1990 .....     131.8               126.2                    83.7
1991 .....     116.0               120.0                    78.8
1992 .....     126.9               129.5                    87.5
1993 .....     130.3               126.1                    85.4
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-Data not available

/1/ Based on population in age group. Data do not indicate the proportion of persons who have been arrested, since some individuals have been arrested more than once.

/2/ The arrest rate is an approximation for years 1950 to 1960. The rate for 1965 to 1990 is based on the number of arrests of all persons under 18 per 1,000 persons in the population 14 to 17 years old. The 14- to 17-year-old arrest rate includes arrests of persons aged 13 and younger. 1991 to 1993 data for 14- to 17-year-olds include arrests for 13-year-olds but does not include arrests for children 12 years old and younger. Data for 1950 to 1960 and for 1991 to 1993 are not directly comparable to data for 1965 to 1990.

NOTE: Some fluctuations in arrest rates are caused by changes in the response rates of law enforcement agencies.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Historical Statistics of the United States to 1975; and Statistical Abstract of the United States, various years. U.S. Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Uniform Crime Reports, Crime in the United States, various years.

Indicator chart and text.


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