Violent Juvenile Offender: Policy Perspectives

• NCJ Number: 164194
• Author(s): W J Dickey
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 21 pages
• Corporate Author: Campaign for an Effective Crime Policy
• Sale Source: Campaign for an Effective Crime Policy
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

After providing data on the dimensions of the problem of violent juvenile crime, this paper examines popular strategies for addressing it and recommends alternative strategies whose effectiveness has been established by evaluation research.

Abstract

Data show that although a small proportion of juveniles are involved in violent crime, lethal violence among juveniles is increasing. Juvenile offenders and their victims are disproportionately urban minority males, and more than half of juvenile homicide arrests in 1993 occurred in six States: California, Texas, Illinois, New York, Michigan, and Florida. Further, data show that inner-city drug markets are linked to violence, and the increase in juvenile homicides from the mid- 1980's through 1994 was attributable entirely to firearms. Some who promote "tough on crime" policies assume that less crime will be committed if offenders are punished severely; however, both crime rates and recidivism rates for juveniles increased significantly in California during a 10-year period when juvenile incarceration rates also increased sharply. Most investigations of transfer of juveniles to adult court have not found positive effects on crime deterrence. Research, practice, and common sense indicate the need for prevention as well as the punishment of crime; neither prevention nor justice system interventions alone will suffice. The National Research Council has recommended systematic problemsolving by practitioners and evaluators to diagnose specific violence problems and design preventive interventions. Recent findings by the RAND Corporation suggest that certain early intervention programs are more cost-effective than building and operating new prisons. Moreover, research shows that community-based programs can provide effective supervision and treatment for the majority of juvenile offenders. Lethal violence can be reduced by making it more difficult for juveniles to obtain firearms and by reducing the fear that drives much of the demand for guns. Thus, although recent legislation has increasingly focused on mandatory sentencing and early, automatic transfer of juveniles into the adult criminal justice system, research and evaluation of existing programs show that other approaches may do more to reduce juvenile violence at lower cost to taxpayers. 69 notes