NCJ Number
165356
Journal
Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (1996) Pages: 305-308
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This paper notes that many violent juvenile offenders were abused as children and argues that communities must assume responsibility for protecting their children from abuse, and in so doing their future victimization of others can be prevented.
Abstract
In the United Kingdom, a survey of one-third of the population of offenders detained under Sections 53(1) and (2) of the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 (the former detained for murder, the latter for other grave crimes, all sentenced between the ages of 10-17 inclusive) showed that 72 percent had themselves been abused as children. Had their abuse been recognized and the child and his family managed differently, it is possible that the long-term outcome for these young men might have been different. Abuse is sufficiently prevalent among violent offenders to be regarded as a key factor in violent behavior by youth. Young people who have been abused need communities that support them by validating rather than ignoring their experiences, making it more acceptable for them to report, describe, and discuss these traumatic events. The prevention of child abuse can be helped by offering support to parents in difficulty and providing parenting classes in schools. Ultimately, what is required is full integration of research programs into the process of policy formulation and application in the justice system for children and youth. Such research should take into account the views of professionals, the public, victims and their families, and the youthful perpetrators themselves. This would encourage society to assume a greater sense of collective responsibility in the process. Formal responses to young violent offenders could thus become more proactive. 7 references