Sobering Statistics

Statistics about Indian youth, compiled from the Census Bureau, the Department of Justice, the Coalition for Juvenile Justice and Indian Health Service, a division of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services:

Population

* Of the nation’s 2.4 million American Indians, 43% are under age 20.

* During the 1990 census, 34% of Indians were under age 18, versus 26% of non-Indians.

* The median age of American Indians is 24.2 years, versus 32.9 years for non-Indians.

* Nearly 38% of Indians 6-11 years old live below the poverty level, versus 18.3% of all other races and 12.5% of whites. For those 12-17, the corresponding numbers are 33.1% Indians, 16.3% all others and 11% whites.

Crime

* A 1997 Bureau of Indian Affairs survey of 132 tribes found 375 gangs with 4,650 members operating on or near Indian reservations.

* The number of Indian juveniles in custody of the Bureau of Federal Prisons skyrocketed from 78 in 1994 to 206 in 1999.

* Indians 12-20 years old are 58% more likely to become crime victims than whites and blacks.

* Indian youth ages 10-17 comprise 1% of the U.S. population for that age group, but make up 2% of juvenile arrests for larceny-theft.

Substance Abuse

* For Indians age 15-24, the alcoholism death rate is 5.5 per 100,000 people, compared with 0.3 for other races and whites.

* Arrests of Indians under 18 for alcohol-related crimes are twice the national average.

* The drug-related death rate for the same age group is 3.3 per 100,000 compared with 3.0 for other races and 2.3 for whites.

Mortality

* Indians younger than 25 account for 13% of all Indian deaths, compared with 4% for other races and 3% for whites.

* The suicide rate among Indians who are 15-24 is 2.7 times the rates for other races.

* Indian youth under 15 are murdered at a rate of 2.6 per 100,000 people, compared with 1.8 for other races and 1.2 for whites.

* The Indian infant mortality rate of 10.9 deaths per 1,000 births is 30% higher than other races and 60% higher than whites. Leading causes are sudden infant death syndrome and congenital anomalies.