Herald news services
OLYMPIA — Juvenile arrest rates for the year 2000 are the lowest reported in the last 15 years, according to data released Wednesday by the Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee.
"The arrest decline in 2000 suggests that the downward spiral in crime that began in the early 1990’s has the potential to continue into the future," said Rosalie McHale, committee office chief. "That’s good news."
For 2000, 47,763 juvenile arrests were reported, and the rate was 68.9 for every 1,000 juveniles between the ages of 10 and 17. This rate represents a decrease of 27 percent from 1994, and is significantly lower than the arrest rates reported from the late 1980’s through 1994, the committee reported.
Violent offense arrest rates for 2000 are the lowest reported since 1983 for Washington. There were 1,924 juvenile arrests for violent offenses in 2000.
Juvenile property offense arrest rates continue to show a significant decline, the committee reported. There were 20,628 juvenile property crime arrests reported in 2000 — the lowest rate reported for property offenses in the last 15 years.
Arrest rates for drug and alcohol offenses showed a slight declining trend from 1990 to 1995, and began an upward trend since 1996 that is consistent with drug and alcohol offense rates reported in the mid- to late 1980’s.
"It’s encouraging to see that enhanced prevention and intervention efforts have had an impact. Yet, this encouraging trend should not invite tolerance of the status quo or inhibit efforts to drive rates still lower," McHale said.
"More young people will not mean more violence if we can influence the rate of offending. And the best way to reduce future offending is through investment in prevention and early intervention."
The data will be finalized in a report due out in February.
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