How many juveniles are arrested each year?

• After years of consistent declines between 2007 and 2021, juvenile arrest rates increased in 2022 and 2023. In 2023 there were 187.7 juveniles arrested for felonies per 100,000 youths in the state—82 percent higher than the 2021 juvenile felony arrest rate. Similarly, the non-felony juvenile arrest rate in 2023 was 187.2—62 percent higher than the 2021 juvenile non-felony arrest rate.

• Overall arrests declined notably during the COVID-19 pandemic. The precise reason(s) for this notable drop is not clear. According to a February 2023 report by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), the factors that appeared to drive the overall decrease in arrests include more people staying home and changes in police enforcement patterns. Such factors could have similarly reduced the juvenile arrest rate. Subsequently, as the pandemic began to subside, a change in mobility, police enforcement patterns, or other factors could have resulted in arrest rates increasing in 2022 and 2023.

• Juvenile arrest rates remain near or below pre-pandemic levels and substantially below the highs reached over the past two decades. For example, the 2023 juvenile felony arrest rate is 73 percent lower than the 2007 rate. Similarly, the 2023 juvenile non-felony arrest rate is 90 percent lower than the 2007 rate.

• There is no consensus among researchers as to why juvenile arrest rates consistently declined between 2007 and 2021. However, the decrease in juvenile crime overlaps with a longer-term national trend of decreases in other risky behavior among youths, such as alcohol and drug consumption.

Last Updated: January 2025