Turning on Their Own: Juvenile Crimes Against Family Members Using NIBRS Data

Abstract Purpose Examine the characteristics and prevalence of child-perpetrated crime against mothers, fathers, and siblings using over 30 years of data from a large, standardized dataset. Methods This study employs data from the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to identify victim, offender, and incident-level demographics of approximately 700,000 child-perpetrated intra-family crimes. Logistic regression models are used to compare victim and offender demographics, offense types, and clearance outcomes by victim group. We also evaluate trends over time by assessing the annual number of child-perpetrated family crime incidents — both in counts and adjusted rates by population to assess past claims that incidents of child-perpetrated family crime are becoming more common. Results Results indicate that these offenses were primarily violent, committed by older teenage males. Additionally, contrary to past research, we find that these offenses peaked in the early 2000s, declined steadily for about 15 years, rose again in 2020, then leveled off in 2024. Conclusions Child-perpetrated intra-family offenses have defining features that may be addressed with tailored intervention programs. Additionally, even with their limitations, large, standardized datasets can provide more comprehensive answers to research questions and reveal trends that smaller datasets may not uncover.