What does this measure?
The number of arrests of youth ages 10-24 arrested for Group A offenses, expressed per 10,000 youth. Group A offenses include assault, theft, vandalism, homicide, sexual offenses and weapons violations.
Why is this important?
Youth arrests serve to remove offenders that may cause harm to other youth or the community. However, the likelihood of not completing high school or being incarcerated as an adult is higher for people arrested as youths, and can be affected by their age at the time of first arrest, frequency of subsequent arrests and incarceration. Interaction with the justice system at a young age may also cause a youth to be labeled in the community, reducing opportunities for future work and higher education.
How is our county doing?
In 2024, there were more than 1,800 youth arrests in Essex County, for a rate of 11 per 10,000. This was above the state rate of 9 in 2024. While Essex County's rate has fluctuated over time, the trend is decreasing from a high of 21 per 10,000 in 2010. Within Essex County, Haverhill and Lawrence had the highest rates (at 21 and 19 per 10,000 youths respectively), followed by Amesbury (16) in 2024.
How do we compare to other counties?
Essex County's rate was higher than in Middlesex, MA at 6 per 10,000 in 2024.
Notes on the data
Comparable data was not available for Lake, IL and Westchester, NY.