ut. Some of them never were allowed to have contact with their parents again. Indusrtialization and urbanization played a tremendous role in the modern era of Juvenile Delinquency. A lot of these factors are true today. Many more farms are going bankrupt. Unemployment is still a factor with the youth of today. We are a culture that values material wealth over and above all. Youth who have no money to live the way they want will often turn to crime as a way to satisfy themselves. As our nation changes, the way in which juveniles are treated will also have to change. The current trends in Juvenile Delinquency have an impact on how we view the problem.Trends in Juvenile DelinquencyAuthor's Note: The figures used are subject to change depending on new data being released by the U.S. Government.The number of juvenile arrests have been declining. In 1971, 27% of all arrests were juveniles. In 1991, 19% of all arrests were juveniles. A lot of this change has to do with the declining teenage population. There are 6 million fewer teenagers today than 20 years ago. Property crime in the U.S. has been fairly stable, there has been a 3% increase between 1982 and 1991. Violent crime has seen a tremendous increase. Since 1965, juvenile arrests have doubled for rape (11:100,000 in 1965 to 22:100,000 in 1991). Crime is generally a young person's game. Property crime peaks at age 16, violent crime peaks at age 18. All crime drops off dramatically at about age 30. There are some disturbing trends. More than 500 kids under 12 were arrested for rape in 1991. These statistics should be viewed with caution. For example, some of these figures were estimated, the official numbers may be less disturbing, or even underestimated. With an increased emphasis on juveniles, more enforcement and less discretion equals higher figures. There is also a problem with data being "fudged" in order to justify an increase in resources. Today there is an increasing trend in loo...
