Trends in Bullying and Peer Victimization.

Increased attention to bullying in recent years has created the impression among some observers that the problem has been on the rise. But at the same time, crime and violence in general, and youth violence in particular, have been decreasing overall in the US. Could this decline apply to bullying and peer victimization? In this bulletin, we will summarize the trends, from youth surveys that have tracked bullying specifically, and also those that have tracked closely related phenomena such as school assaults, school thefts, school fighting and school hate speech. These surveys generally show declines in bullying and peer victimization, some of it remarkably large, especially over the period since the mid 1990s. More recent trends, since 2007, also show some declines, but somewhat less dramatic

Kidnaping of Juveniles: Patterns From NIBRS.

The kidnaping of children has generated a great deal of public concern, not to mention confusion and controversy. These crimes, from the kidnaping of the Lindbergh baby to the abduction and murder of Adam Walsh, have been some of the most notorious and highly publicized news stories of recent history, occupying a central place in the fears and anxieties of parents. Yet, an ongoing debate has raged over how frequently such crimes occur, which children are most at risk, and who the primary offenders are

Juvenile Victims of Property Crimes.

Property crime is the most frequent kind of criminal victimization and one with important economic and psychological consequences, although it has not received the same public attention as violent crime in recent years. Property crime victimization rates are much higher for juveniles than for adults, but very little attention has been paid to property crimes against juveniles or the particular features that characterize these crimes. This Bulletin tries to fill this gap by examining the characteristics of property crimes against juveniles. It uses crime information from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) for 1996–97 and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) for 1997

Prostitution of Juveniles: Patterns From NIBRS.

Examines the prostitution of juveniles by analyzing incidents of this problem that come to the attention of law enforcement. Part of the Crimes Against Children Bulletin Series, this Bulletin draws on data from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to provide a profile of juvenile prostitution, noting characteristics that distinguish it from its adult counterpart. Although information about the prostitution of juveniles is scarce, the data from NIBRS can be used to help juvenile justice officials and others better identify and respond to the sexual exploitation of youth

Characteristics of Crimes Against Juveniles

Until recently, it has been difficult to obtain a national statistical picture of juvenile crime victimization. The Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) system, which has served as the Nation’s primary source of information about crime since 1929, has never collected information or reported crimes by age of victim, with the exception of homicides. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the victim self-report survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics for the past 20 years, has collected data only on crimes occurring to persons 12 years of age or older. Consequently, even such a basic fact as the percentage of all violent crimes that are committed against juveniles (youth ages 17 and younger) has been unavailable. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) developing National IncidentBased Reporting System (NIBRS), however, does provide detailed statistical information about juvenile victims of reported crimes. As more jurisdictions begin to participate in NIBRS, the outlines of a national picture of juvenile crime victims are beginning to emerge. Even though NIBRS is far from a comprehensive national data system, the fact that only partial data were available previously makes it particularly useful to see what information about juvenile victims can be gleaned from this system. An analysis of 1997 NIBRS data from jurisdictions in 12 States reveals some key findings

Child Pornography: Patterns From NIBRS.

Presents findings from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). By collecting data on pornography/obscene material offenses from law enforcement jurisdictions, NIBRS enables researchers to draw conclusions about the number, locations, and characteristics of these crimes. NIBRS data suggest that approximately 2,900 crime incidents of pornography with juvenile involvement were known to state and local police in 2000; these offenses most often were committed by a lone adult male offender, occurred in a residence, and did not involve a computer. Currently, NIBRS data represent about 14 percent of the population. As more jurisdictions support uniform reporting of accurate data to NIBRS and as its codes become more refined, NIBRS will become even more useful in identifying and tracking trends in child pornography

Explanations of pedophilia: Review of empirical research

This article reviews empirical research to discover what support exists for theories that attempt to explain why adults become sexually interested in and involved with immature children. These theories are first organized into four basic categories: emotional congruence-why the adult congruence - why an emotional need to relate to a child; sexual arousl-why the adult could become sexually aroused by a child; blockage - why alternative sources of sexual and emotional gratification are not available; or disinhibition - why the adult is not deterred from such an interest by normal prohibitions. The review shows that the best experimental research has been directed toward establishing that pedophiles do not show an unusual pattern of sexual arousal toward children, although no good evidence yet exists about why this is so; a number of studies have concurred that pedophiles are blocked in their social and heterosexual relationships; the use of alcohol is well established as a disinhibiting factor that plays a role in a great many pedophile offenses; at least one study gives support to the \u27emotional congruence\u27 idea that children, because of their lack of dominance, have some special meaning for pedophiles; and there is evidence that many pedophiles were themselves victims of pedophile behavior when they were children. The article also demonstrates that pedophilia research is, in general, characterized by some serious theoretical and methodological flaws. As a result, caution should be exercised in generalizing findings until more careful research is undertaken

Crimes Against Children by Babysitters.

Presents information on the frequency and nature of crimes committed against children by babysitters. As part of OJJDP\u27s Crimes Against Children Series, the Bulletin draws on the FBI\u27s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to examine victim and offender characteristics, including gender, age, type of injury, and victim-offender relationship. The Bulletin also presents an overview of how NIBRS works to collect a wide range of criminal information for a variety of offenses. The Bulletin concludes by examining the implications of NIBRS data, particularly in regard to the severity of threat posed to children by babysitters