Barbara A. Oudekerk, Ph.D., Rachel E. Morgan, Ph.D., Bureau of Justice Statistics

July 7, 2016    NCJ 249756

Presents estimates of nonfatal violent victimizations perceived by the victim to be committed by adolescents ages 12 to 17 during 2004-13. This report compares the characteristics of violent victimizations committed by adolescents acting alone, with other adolescents, and with young adults ages 18 to 29. Victim, offender, and incident characteristics are highlighted, including the type of crime, weapon use, victim injury, and whether reported to police. Data are from the National Crime Victimization Survey, a self-report survey administered every 6 months to persons age 12 or older from a nationally representative sample of U.S. households.

Highlights:

• Adolescent offenders who acted alone or with others committed 50.0 nonfatal violent victimizations per 1,000 adolescents.
• Adolescent offenders committed 22% of all violent victimizations, while making up 10% of the U.S. population age 12 or older during this period.  
• In violent victimizations committed by adolescents who acted with at least one other person, co-offenders were most commonly other adolescents (59%) or young adults (28%).
• More violent victimizations were committed by adolescents who acted alone (64%) than those who acted with co-offenders (36%).
• Simple assaults made up a greater percentage of violent victimizations committed by adolescents acting alone (77%) or with other adolescents (71%), compared to victimizations by adolescents acting with young adults (53%).

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