NCJ Number
173647
Date Published
1998
Length
74 pages
Annotation
Data on juvenile violence trends in 10 European countries and the Untied States are examined with respect to problems of data comparability, trends in youth violence, factors that contribute to the findings, and responses and prevention approaches in different countries.
Abstract
The data reveal that since the early to mid-1980s, an increase in youth violence has been apparent in the United States and in 10 European countries: Austria, Denmark, England and Wales, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Rates of youth violence have been increasing in most of these countries even though overall youth crime rates appear to be stable or declining slightly and even though crime rates are not increasing among older people. The main victims of increased youth violence are male youths and young adults. These patterns are apparent from official records, victim surveys, and self-report studies. A main cause appears to be that life in many European countries is shifting toward a winner-loser culture in which many disadvantaged youth appear fated to be losers. Countries vary considerably in the mix of law enforcement and prevention efforts undertaken to deal with increased youth violence. Figures, tables, footnotes, and 89 references (Author abstract modified)