NCJ Number
176158
Date Published
1998
Length
10 pages
Annotation
In 1995, according to an analysis by the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) of Federal Bureau of Investigation, 85 percent of U.S. counties did not experience juvenile homicides, and 93.4 percent have experienced one or no juvenile homicides.
Abstract
Data show that young people are arrested for running away from home at 65 times the rate they are arrested for homicide. Provisions of the Violent and Repeat Juvenile Offender Act of 1997 are discussed in the context of juvenile crime, and the authors note that young people's contacts with law enforcement primarily involve nonviolent crimes and status offenses. With regard to the Safer Schools Act of 1997, the authors indicate that 4.5 million children regularly use tobacco products and a substantial number may be subject to school suspension. Juveniles are arrested for the least serious offenses at six times the rate they are arrested for all violent offenses combined. The less serious offenses include curfew violations and other nonviolent crimes, alcohol crimes, and running away from home. While the JPI agrees violent juvenile crime is a significant issue, the institute does not believe that runaways should be treated the same as murderers or that millions of teenagers should be suspended from school for smoking. 35 endnotes