NCJ Number
206244
Journal
Offender Programs Report Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: May/June 2004 Pages: 3-4,8,10
Date Published
May 2004
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article presents a case study of a double homicide involving four youths who had been deeply involved in the juvenile justice system for years before the murders occurred.
Abstract
Public concern over juvenile homicide has increased in recent years and data indicate an increase in juvenile arrests for homicides. The case presented here involved four youths who had been involved in criminal activities together and had served time together at the local juvenile detention center. During July 2000, the four youths drove to a party together and at some point, two of the youths killed the other two. The judicial judge requested an investigation pertaining to the lessons that could be learned from this case, pointing out that all four youths had been heavily involved with the juvenile justice system for some time before the murders. The author reviewed official records of the juvenile justice system, the courts, the mental health system, and the social service system. Seventeen youth workers who were involved with the four youths were interviewed. The findings indicate that the staff handled the cases with these youths in a professional and appropriate manner, according to standards put forth by the American Correctional Association. The following areas were determined to be working smoothly within the juvenile justice system: dedication of staff, concern for public safety, continuous improvement in services, willingness to experiment, consistency of approach, and sufficient resources. Four major recommendations are offered for improvement: improve the coordination of services throughout the system, enhance communication between agencies and workers, debrief staff concerning upsetting cases, and implement risk and needs assessment tools to identify high risk youth. Fourteen additional recommendations are offered that are viewed as less critical, such as the elimination of duplicate services. During the interview process, staff were asked their opinions on necessary changes in the juvenile justice system; their answers included the increased use of cognitive treatment programs and increased communication with schools. Lessons learned include the observation that systems and agencies should work together to cobble their own shared policies and practices, assessing individuals is critical, programs should be periodically and methodically reviewed, a system analysis should be conducted to determine the flow of clients, and systems should support workers involved in upsetting cases.