Violent Crime Victimization

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Q:	Does juvenile homicide victimization vary by sex?
A:	Males account for the largest share of juvenile homicide victims, but the female proportion has grown since the mid 1990s.

Juvenile homicide victims by sex, 1980-2006

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In 2006, females accounted for 27% of all juvenile murder victims, down from 36% in 2002.
The large increase in juvenile homicides between 1984 and 1993 (up 94%) and the subsequent decline through 2002 (down 45%) were nearly all attributable to changes in homicides of male juveniles. Males accounted for 85% of the growth in juvenile homicide victims between 1984 and 1993 and 82% of the decline between 1993 and 2002.
The number of juvenile females murdered continued to decline between 2002 and 2006, reaching its lowest level since atleast 1980. Unlike the number of female victims, the annual number of juvenile males murdered increased 28% during the same period.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/victims/qa02312.asp?qaDate=2006. Released on October 24, 2008.

Adapted from Puzzanchera, C. and Kang, W. (2008). Easy Access to the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports: 1980-2006. Available on-line at: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/ezashr/.

Data Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation. Supplementary Homicide Reports for the years 1980–2006 [machine-readable data files]. Washington, D.C.: FBI.