Report to Congress on Juvenile Violence Research

• NCJ Number: 176976
• Author(s): Katharine Browning
• Date Published: July 1999
• Length: 41 pages
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)

Annotation

This report presents the collective results of studies funded under a 1992 congressional directive to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to fund additional research examining violence committed by or against juveniles in urban and rural areas.

Abstract

Among the research objectives were to examine the characteristics of juveniles involved in violence, to determine the context in which juvenile violence tends to occur, and to make recommendations for the prevention and control of violence by or against juveniles. In response to the legislation, OJJDP funded four new violence studies and continued funding for three existing research projects examining the causes and correlates of serious and violent juvenile offending. Results revealed that young black males are disproportionately involved as offenders and as victims of violence, that guns have a large role in juvenile violence, and that gang members are often involved in violence. Findings also revealed that the majority of youths who live in impoverished and high-crime areas are not involved in serious juvenile delinquency. The recommendations of the studies emphasized four major areas of intervention: (1) gangs, (2) guns, (3) high-risk juveniles; and (4) locations and times of highest risk for juvenile violence. The studies also provided examples that address each area of intervention. The studies' overriding message was that the need exists for a balanced and comprehensive approach to addressing juvenile violence. Communities must work with the juvenile justice system to prevent the development of violent behavior and to intervene with violent youth in effective ways. Chart, footnotes, appended summaries of individual studies, and 43 references