NCJ Number
165030
Journal
Children's Voice Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: (Fall 1996) Pages: 4-5,26
Editor(s)
S Boehm,
M Liepold
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Although very young criminals have been front-page news in recent months, children are far more likely to be victims of crime than they are to be aggressors.
Abstract
Arrest rates for juvenile violent crime actually decreased nationwide in 1995 for the first time in almost a decade. Specifically, for young people between 10 and 17 years of age, violent crime arrest rates declined by 2.9 percent in 1995. Surveys show what factors protect children from harm and what factors contribute to juvenile crime and victimization (high-risk neighborhoods, poor family functioning, child abuse, domestic violence, parental incarceration, antisocial behavior with peers, and school failure). The earlier a child is identified as needing help, the better the chance of success. Approaches to the treatment of violent juvenile offenders are examined that focus on the family, the school, and residential treatment. The family focus must include a realistic response to any evidence of domestic violence and must enlist extended family and community support systems to supplement the work of professionals. For school-age children, effective treatment must address not only family relationships but also school and peer relationships. Although residential treatment is expensive, violent young people need intensive training to learn new interaction strategies. Family-focused residential treatment must be considered as an early option, not just as a last resort. The need to change cultural acceptance of violence is emphasized.