NCJ Number
101150
Date Published
1985
Length
91 pages
Annotation
This publication provides testimony, prepared statements, and supplemental information on the problem of juvenile arson and possible responses to it.
Abstract
Materials presented by psychiatrists, researchers, and police and fire department officials examine the incidence of juvenile firesetting, its economic costs, and the characteristics, motivations, and firesetting patterns of these juvenile offenders. Testimony from two young male arsonists and the mother of one describe their experiences with and reactions to firesetting. Also provided are summaries of arson prevention activities undertaken by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United States Fire Administration. Two intervention programs, the National Firehawk Foundation Program and the Milwaukee Fire Department Juvenile Firesetter Program, are described which use educational, role-modeling, referral, and counseling approaches to juvenile arson.