Juvenile crime incidents in the U.S. dropped 14% between 2016 and 2022, reports the Council on Criminal Justice. using data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The number of juveniles involved dropped 18%. A notable exception was more frequent use of firearms among youth, the council said. Homicides by juveniles jumped by 65% and robbery dropped 45%. Property crimes declined, burglary by 62 percent and larceny by 46 percent. Youths 15-17 saw a 23% drop in offenses, while those 10-14 experienced a 9% increase. Firearm use rose by 21% from 2016 to 2022, increasingly resulting in serious injury.
In a separate report, relying on a national survey of 24,500 students in the eighth, 10th, and 12th grade, the council said that self-reported crime among middle and high school students dropped substantially between spring 2020 and spring 2021, with non-lethal violent crime decreasing 24% and property crime 23%. The reductions were notably larger than trends seen in the previous three decades and run counter to the national violent crime spike during the pandemic. The decline in youth crime during the pandemic was partly due to reductions in how frequently youth attended parties, went out with friends for fun, drank alcohol, or used cannabis. The council said decreases in violent and property crime were smaller among youth in disadvantaged counties. Youth from counties that closed a larger share of schools reported greater reductions in property crime, but not violent crime.