NCJ Number
111275
Date Published
1987
Length
63 pages
Annotation
Testimony by county fire and mental health officials before the New Jersey Senate Committee on Children's Services considers the incidence, causes, treatment, and prevention of juvenile firesetting, with attention to how the State legislature might assist in addressing the problem.
Abstract
Testimony indicates that both juvenile arson and firesetting are growing problems in New Jersey. Witnesses identify various behavioral causes which range from normal juvenile curiosity to serious psychosexual maladjustment. Some factors in juvenile firesetting are inattentive parents, stress, and social maladjustment. Firesetting is often one among a host of behavioral problems in a delinquent. Testimony indicates there are only two programs in New Jersey that attempt to prevent and treat juvenile arson and firesetting, one in Camden County operated by the fire marshal's office and the other in Bergen County, operated by a mental health center. Funding for both programs is scarce. Both of the programs rely on volunteer fire fighters. Many witnesses recommend the establishment of a statewide juvenile arson prevention and treatment program which permits variations according to county circumstances. Case vignettes and written testimony.