NCJ Number
93043
Date Published
1983
Length
23 pages
Annotation
A study of violent offenses committed by juveniles in Missouri in 1981 dispelled many popular myths about violent juvenile crime. Drugs and alcohol were rarely involved in these offenses, and the number of juveniles adjudicated for violent offenses constituted an extremely small percentage of all juveniles referred to the courts.
Abstract
Violent offenses were defined as Class A felonies, selected Class B felonies, and homicide offenses. Data on juveniles adjudicated or certified to criminal court for a violent offense were collected from juvenile officers in Missouri's 44 judicial circuits. Detailed case reviews were conducted on 72 percent of the universe of violent offenders. There were 158 juveniles adjudicated or certified to adult courts for violent offenses in 1981. Of this group, 88.6 percent were males, and 61 percent did not have a previous adjudication or certification for any offense. The victims of violent juvenile crime were under 60 years old 90 percent of the time and 16 years or younger 51 percent of the time. Almost three-quarters of the victims in this study were not injured physically. The analysis showed that 87 percent of all the violent offenders were detained prior to the adjudication hearing, and 84 percent who physically injured their victims received a disposition involving out-of-home placement or certification. The majority of cases were disposed of within 80 days. The study concluded that Missouri's reporting and recordkeeping systems for both juveniles and adults are inadequate to permit an indepth analysis of violent crime. Charts, policy recommendations, 1 map, and six references are supplied.