NCJ Number
118483
Date Published
1989
Length
76 pages
Annotation
Testimony presented before the House Select Committee on Children, Youth, and Families in April 1989 focuses on the incidence of violence involving children and prevention strategies.
Abstract
Witnesses at the hearing included individuals from law enforcement, criminologists, public health officials, psychiatrists, and educators. They presented testimony on homicide and suicide as leading causes of youth death, the disproportionate victimization of teenagers by violent crime, the increased rate of violent crime committed by juveniles, the educational level of youth in custody, the correlation between juvenile delinquency and child abuse, the increased number of youth killed by firearms, and drug abuse by youth. Witnesses pointed out that adolescents are at high risk for violence because of the rapid physical and psychological changes that occur in the transition to adulthood. Evidence is mounting that violence is a learned response to stress and conflict. Addressing the problem of interpersonal violence involves the collaboration of a broad base of professionals and community organizations. The juvenile justice system should be scrutinized, and the age at which a person can be prosecuted as an adult should be re-examined. Given statistics indicating an increase in juvenile arrests from 3,727 in 1986 to 6,499 in 1988, 35 percent of which involved illegal drug use, and a juvenile recidivist rate averaging 60 percent over the same period, greater emphasis should be placed on prevention and educational services. Programs are needed to identify at-risk youth before they become involved in the juvenile justice system. Witness statements further examine adolescent and family violence, the dynamics of violence in different ethnic groups, violence in schools, and the roots of crime in family breakdown. 21 references.