NCJ Number
146902
Date Published
1993
Length
251 pages
Annotation
To provide baseline information on serious juvenile delinquency, the authors conducted street interviews with approximately 600 serious delinquents in 20 neighborhoods of the Miami/Dade County metropolitan area.
Abstract
The sample was 41.4 percent white, 42.2 percent black, and 16.4 percent Hispanic; and the mean age of all youth was 15 years. Interviews were conducted between 1985 and 1987, with field contacts in 1991. Serious juvenile delinquency was defined as major and/or chronic criminal behavior. The major focus of the study was on the link between criminal behavior and drug involvement. All interviewed youth had extensive histories of multiple drug use, with identifiable patterns of onset and progression. Crack cocaine availability and use were particularly widespread, contributing to early and violent criminal activities. Little variation existed between drug use and crime involvement with respect to age, gender, and race/ethnicity; the link between serious criminality and extensive drug use, however, was undeniable. It appeared that increased juvenile drug use was a contributing factor in the transmission of HIV infection and that educational programs on HIV risks represented only a small part of a total solution. Policy implications of the findings are discussed in terms of county-based intervention strategies, the "get tough" strategy, the "scared straight" strategy, shock incarceration, the humanitarian/nurturing strategy, and compulsory treatment. References and tables