National Crime Victimization Survey and Juvenile Justice Policy

Study Notes

The National Crime Victimization Survey is an annual survey on victimization of crime in the US, collected by the Census Bureau since 1972.
It collects individual victimization data on personal crimes and household victimization data.
The survey does not collect data on murder, kidnapping, arson, and victimless crimes.
Its purposes are to develop detailed information about victims and consequences of crime, estimate the number and types of crimes not reported to the police, provide uniform measures of selected types of crime, and permit year to year comparisons.
The survey sheds light on unreported crimes that do not come to the attention of law enforcement by collecting information from victims of crime.
Self-report data on delinquency is obtained by asking juveniles to report on their offending through interview or questionnaire.
Juvenile justice policy has historically been tough on crime, and arrest rates for those under 18 are at a historic low.
The decrease in overall arrest and juvenile court caseload rates over the past decade has had little impact on the disproportionate involvement of adolescents of color in the juvenile justice system.
Most delinquency adjudications result in formal probation supervision and, for some, out of home placement.
Juvenile detention is ideally used for safety reasons only, to protect the youthful offenders and/or the community.

Description

Explore the National Crime Victimization Survey and juvenile justice policy regarding youth crimes, survey purposes, and impact on adolescents of color. Learn about the purpose of the survey, types of crimes data collected, and the significance of juvenile detention.