Background Paper for the Violent Juvenile Offender Research and Development Program

• NCJ Number: 117808
• Author(s): J Fagan; E Hartstone; S J Jones; C Rudman; R Emerson
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 100 pages
• Grant Number(s): 80-JN-AX-0006
• Sponsoring Agency: US Securities and Exchange Cmssn
• Corporate Author: URSA Institute
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Type: Program Description (Demonstrative)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This background paper provides a theoretical and conceptual framework for the design and testing of alternative intervention strategies for violent juvenile offenders.

Abstract

After an introduction to the Violent Juvenile Offender Research and Development Program, a chapter reviews the current empirical knowledge about violent juvenile offenders. This includes data on incidence and prevalence of violent offenses by juveniles, offender characteristics, and victimization patterns. Studies which identify factors predictive of juvenile and adult violence are also reviewed. The next chapter first assesses the major research and theories on the causes of juvenile delinquency and violence, followed by the development of a theoretical model for intervention that builds on existing theory and incorporates the sociodemographic data on violent offenders. The chapter concludes with an examination of evaluation data and research on the various alternative intervention strategies that derive from the theoretical model for intervention. A chapter considers data on juvenile court caseloads for violent delinquents to provide an overview of the problem confronting the juvenile court. The concluding chapter reviews the intervention theory, describes the program design, and summarizes the research design to test the intervention model. 110-item bibliography.