Juvenile Justice System Should Punish Violent Youths (From Violence: Opposing Viewpoints, P 170-176, 1996, David Bender, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-159343)

• NCJ Number: 159364
• Author(s): P J McNulty
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 7 pages
• Sale Source: Greenhaven Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Opposing Viewpoints Series

Annotation

Because of the surge in violent juvenile crime, the juvenile justice system should abandon its misguided efforts to rehabilitate young people and instead punish youths who commit criminal acts.

Abstract

Between 1985 and 1991, homicides committed by boys between 15 and 19 years of age increased by 154 percent. Over the 1982- 1991 period, the juvenile arrest rate for murder rose by 93 percent, for aggravated assault by 72 percent, and for forcible rape by 24 percent. Teenagers account for the largest proportion of all violent crimes. Offenders under 21 years of age commit more than 25 percent of all violent crimes, and older teenagers between 17 and 19 years of age constitute the most violent age group. Many violent teenagers come from broken and single-parent households; in particular, many teenage boys grow up without fathers as moral guides and role models. The single most reliable predictor of violent crime is the number of single-parent families in a community. Since repairing the home life of many children is beyond the reach of government, public safety depends on the government's ability to discourage young people from committing violent crimes. The debate over rehabilitation versus punishment continues, especially in the context of the juvenile justice system's failure to stem the tide of youth crime. The author concludes that the juvenile justice system must be tough on young offenders and that violent crimes must be punished with appropriate penalties.