America Sees Rise in Minors Accused of Crimes

Nearly 10 percent more U.S. juveniles were accused of violent crimes last year compared to 2022, and nearly 30 percent more were arrested in property crimes during the same period, according to new data released by the FBI on Monday.
Violent crimes involving all ages, however, dropped during the same stretch, according to bureau data.
The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program published the data from the FBI for 2023, covering over 14 million documented criminal offenses. The information was provided by more than 16,000 participating law enforcement organizations.
The FBI’s annual “Summary of Crime in the Nation” states that suspects in violent crimes who were younger than 18 increased from 31,302 in 2022 to 34,413 in 2023. There were 73,332 reported property crimes last year in which juveniles were accused, compared to 56,674 in 2022, according to the new data.
In a recent opinion column for Newsweek, Liz Ryan, administrator for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, wrote that while upticks in certain offense categories demand action and justice, it is crucial to view juvenile crime within a broader context.
“We should never ignore or dismiss delinquent behavior by young people, but we should address it with effective, evidence-based and promising interventions. Accountability is needed, as is compassion, support and access to services,” Ryan wrote.
When reached by Newsweek via email Monday regarding the new juvenile crime data, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program said: “The FBI does not interpret the data. The FBI’s [UCR] Program collects and publishes the data voluntarily reported by law enforcement.”
Overall, violent crime declined an estimated 3 percent in 2023 compared to 2022, the FBI report said, signaling a continued downward trend after the spike during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, homicides and non-negligent manslaughter dropped by nearly 12 percent.
Violent crime has become a focal point in the 2024 presidential race, in which former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, is set to face off against Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, in November.
During the presidential debate between the two candidates this month, Trump was fact-checked by ABC News moderator David Muir when Trump claimed that crime rates are “through the roof” but down in the rest of the world.
“President Trump, as you know, the FBI says that overall violent crime is actually coming down in this country,” Muir said, prompting Trump to claim that the FBI statistics are “defrauding statements.”
Violent crime surged in the early years of the pandemic, with homicides jumping nearly 30 percent in 2020, marking the largest single-year increase since the FBI began tracking these statistics. Experts have cited a range of factors behind this rise, from economic stress to disruptions caused by the pandemic and escalated gun violence.
By 2022, crime levels had begun to stabilize. The FBI’s 2023 data shows the violent crime rate fell from 377 incidents per 100,000 people in 2022 to 364 per 100,000 in 2023. This is close to pre-pandemic levels, indicating a potential return to relative normalcy, according to the FBI.
The collective UCR data covers 94.3 percent of the population, reported through the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the Summary Reporting System.
Monday’s FBI report arrived after the first three months of this year saw a “historic” drop in rates of violent crime and murder across the country, according to FBI statistics in June. However, some analysts who previously spoke to Newsweek say the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
John Lott, president of the nonprofit, right-leaning Crime Prevention Research Center who held a brief role in the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Trump, previously told Newsweek that the FBI statistics are incomplete at best.
“It’s just a small portion of the issue,” Lott said. “The reason why we have the National Crime Victimization Survey (an annual survey conducted by the DOJ) is because we know most crimes are not reported to police.”