NCJ Number
54430
Date Published
1972
Length
64 pages
Annotation
TO DETERMINE TRENDS IN AND CHARACTERISTICS OF JUVENILE ARSON AND FALSE FIRE ALARM OFFENSES, DATA ON 200 CASES OF JUVENILE FIRE OFFENSES IN SAN DIEGO, CALIF., WERE COLLECTED AND ANALYZED.
Abstract
THE MAIN THRUST OF THE ANALYSIS IS TO DESCRIBE SELECTED ASPECTS OF JUVENILE ARSON SUCH AS SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FALSE ALARMS AND FIRE OFFENSES, THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED, THE LOCATION OF THE OFFENSES, AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENDERS. RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT FALSE ALARM OFFENSES ARE GENERALLY COMMITTED BY WHITE MALE, MALE JUVENILES, THAT JUVENILE ARSON IS NOT LIMITED TO ANY ONE SOCIOECONOMIC GROUP ON ETHNIC CATEGORY, THAT MOST FIRE OFFENSES OCCUR DURING THE TIME WHEN SCHOOL IS IN SESSION AND AT TIMES WHEN CHILDREN HAVE LITTLE SUPERVISION, AND THAT A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE OFFENSES OCCUR ON SCHOOL GROUNDS. THERE ARE TWO BASIC TYPES OF YOUNG ARSONISTS: YOUNG CHILDREN WHO PLAY OR EXPERIMENT WITH FIRE, AND OTHER YOUTHS, USUALLY IN THEIR EARLY TEENS, WHO BECOME INVOLVED IN FIRE OFFENSES WHILE REACTING TO CRISES IN THE FAMILY, FRUSTRATION IN SCHOOL, OR OTHER COMPLICATED FACTORS. THE OLDER YOUTHS OFTEN HAVE PREVIOUS POLICE CONTACTS OR BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL. MOST FIRE OFFENSES ARE FAIRLY MINOR, USUALLY INVOLVING PLAY WITH MATCHES AND FIREWORKS AND TRASH BURNING. A FOUR-PART PROGRAM FOR FIRE PREVENTION EDUCATION IS PROPOSED. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)