California youth felony arrest rates declined 62% from ‘98

Kidsdata.org is a program of the Lucile Packard Foundation of Children’s Health, which uses data to promote the health and well being of children

SAN FRANCISCO — The felony arrest rate for California youth continues its remarkable decline since 1998, although racial disparities in arrest rates persist.

California’s juvenile felony arrest rate declined by 62 percent between 1998 and 2013, from 19.6 per 1,000 youth ages 10-17 to 7.5, reported Kidsdata.org https://www.kidsdata.org/ of the Lucille Packard Foundation for Children’s Health.

Researchers have reported (PDF) that socioeconomic changes, changes in reclassification of marijuana offenses and a range of other factors may have played a role in that decline.

At the county level, juvenile felony arrest rates vary widely, ranging from 4.8 to 23.5 arrests per 1,000 youth in 2013. See juvenile justice data by county, gender, race/ethnicity and type of offense>>

In 2013, 38 percent of juvenile felony arrests in California were for property offenses, 27 percent for violent offenses, 21 percent for other offenses (e.g., weapons, hit-and-run), 11 percent for drug and alcohol offenses, and 3 percent for sex offenses. Statewide, boys account for the vast majority of juvenile felony arrests.

Among racial/ethnic groups, African American youth are arrested at higher rates than their peers in other groups. In 2013, African American and Latino youth together comprised 75 percent of all juvenile felony arrests in California.

Youth of color have been disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system for many years, statewide and nationally.

Read more about juvenile felony arrest rates in California, including policy implications>>