NCJ Number
189154
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 17 Issue: 2 Dated: May 2001 Pages: 142-166
Date Published
May 2001
Length
25 pages
Annotation
This study sought to determine whether female juveniles were becoming more violent than in the past and used data from reported juvenile robbery incidents for the city and county of Honolulu, HI, during 1991 and 1997.
Abstract
The study was prompted by statistics that indicated dramatic increases in the arrests of juvenile females, particularly for traditionally male-dominated offenses such as assault and robbery. The Honolulu data came from arrest data maintained by the Attorney General’s Juvenile Justice Information System. The research considered a random sample of approximately half the juvenile robberies in 1997 and all the robberies for which juveniles were arrested in 1991. Results indicated that despite claims that youth had become increasingly violent, no major shift in the pattern of juvenile robbery occurred over the two time periods. Instead, it appeared that less serious offenses, particularly those committed by juvenile females, were being swept up into the criminal justice system. Figures, tables, notes, and 25 references (Author abstract modified)