Juveniles & crime.

• Position: GRAPH: NATIONAL - Brief article

Over the past decade, there's been a significant shift in how U.S. law views juvenile offenders, with the Supreme Court limiting the sentences that criminals under 18 can receive (see article, p. 10). Part of the reason for the shift is reflected in the graph: Those under 18 aren't committing as many serious crimes as they once did. In 1994, about 2.6 million juveniles were arrested for crimes nationwide, representing 18 percent of all arrests. In 2009, there were 1.9 million juvenile arrests, representing 14 percent of the total.

ANALYZE THE GRAPH

(1) In 1994, what percentage of murder arrests involved juvenile suspects?

a 9 percent

b 13 percent

c 17 percent

d 24 percent

(2) In 2009, juveniles represented more than a third of all arrests for --.

a burglary

b arson

c both a and b

d neither a nor b

(3) Which crime saw the greatest drop in the percentage of juvenile arrests between 1994 and 2009?

a larceny/theft

b aggravated assault

c murder

d motor vehicle theft

(4) The first four crimes on the graph are art classified as violent crimes. For which one was the 2009 percentage of youth arrests closest to the 1794 percentage?

a murder

b forcible rape

c robbery

d aggravated assault

(5) In 2009, there were about 75,000 juvenile arrests for burglary. The total number of burglary arrests that year was about --.

a 300,000

b 410,000

c 520,000

d 580,000

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

(1) What findings from the graph are most...