NCJ Number
153406
Journal
Juvenile Justice Digest Volume: 22 Issue: 24 Dated: (December 21, 1994) Pages: 7-9
Date Published
1994
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article, the second in a three-part series, presents a profile of British juveniles convicted of murder or manslaughter during the period between 1982 and 1992.
Abstract
The observations outlined here are based on anecdotal data obtained from reviewing 20 select cases and aim to corroborate other, empirical research. The profile of an adolescent murderer is a white male, aged 14.6 years, of average intelligence, who usually knew his victim. Thirty percent of the homicides were committed with a knife, 20 percent with a blunt instrument, and 20 percent occurred when the offender was driving a stolen automobile out of control. About half the offenders had previous court contacts and 20 percent had been placed in foster homes or other social service agency placements. Seventy percent of the juvenile offenders profiled here were labeled as having a conduct disorder; only 15 percent lived in intact families at the time of the homicide. These findings are corroborated by other studies using similar samples.