NCJ Number
171771
Journal
Valparaiso University Law Review Volume: 31 Issue: 2 Dated: (Spring 1997) Pages: 353-720
Editor(s)
M T Terwilliger
Date Published
1997
Length
368 pages
Annotation
Twenty-two articles are categorized under three interrelated issues: guns and violence and what should be done about it, the characteristics of gangs that provide the social structure for much of the drug use and violence in America, and the problem of drugs and what should be done about it.
Abstract
In the area of guns and violence, one paper reports on a study that concludes concealed weapon carrying reduces crime. This is followed by a paper that questions the validity of that study's findings. Other papers report on a study of patterns of illegal gun carrying among young urban males and patterns of homicide committed by juveniles. Remaining paper in the section on guns and violence addresses policy toward juvenile violence, the effectiveness of harsh punishments in curtailing teenage violence, and a theory of prevention designed to address high- crime settings and the development of chronic offenders. Four papers on gangs focus on the nature of gangs and how society should respond to the gang problem. Ten papers on juveniles and drugs focus on the causes of juvenile drug use and drug dealing and policies most likely to be effective in reducing the harm caused by drug use. Some of the themes of the papers on drugs are that current drug policy is punitive and racially discriminatory in its enforcement and sentencing and that a medical model that emphasizes prevention and treatment would be more effective than the current criminal justice policy. For individual articles, see NCJ-171772-90.