NCJ Number
182904
Journal
Juvenile Offender Solutions Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: January/February 2000 Pages: 8-12
Editor(s)
Thomas S. Kapinos
Date Published
2000
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article provides an overview of the findings of research on juvenile violence.
Abstract
Overall, the results from the juvenile violence studies show that violent offenses are overwhelmingly committed by males and that the majority of juvenile victims of violence are male; however, females appear to be getting more involved in violent behavior. An examination of neighborhood factors shows that many violent juvenile offenders live in impoverished neighborhoods; however, the majority of youth who live in such environments are not involved in serious delinquency. The studies reviewed overwhelmingly confirm that firearms play a large role in juvenile violence. Firearms were involved in 80 percent or more of the violent incidents in each of the studies that reported on this topic. Certain situational conditions appear to be associated with an increase in juvenile violent offending, such as location, time of day, and the presence of gangs. As a whole, the recommendations from the juvenile violence studies suggest that interventions should target four general areas: gangs, guns, high-risk juveniles, and locations and times of highest risk for juvenile violence. Since the recommendations from this group of studies focus on issues that arose from their particular findings, this paper advises that it is not intended to present a comprehensive set of recommendations for the prevention and control of juvenile violence in all communities.