NCJ Number
137457
Date Published
1992
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The U.S. Attorney General spoke to the 1992 Governor's Conference on Juvenile Crime, Drugs, and Gangs about the importance of juvenile justice reform.
Abstract
He indicated that the juvenile justice system has to be more effective in intervening early enough to divert troubled youth from a career of crime and that the system must identify and deal decisively with chronic offenders. He reported that juveniles under 18 years of age account for 33 percent of burglaries, 30 percent of larcenies, 24 percent of robberies, 15 percent of rapes, and 14 percent of murders and non-negligent manslaughter. Between 1965 and 1989, the arrest rate of juveniles for murder almost tripled and the rate of weapons violations increased by 2.5 times. The Attorney General identified three components of the juvenile justice system: private and public institutions that socialize children and shape their character; official juvenile delinquency system including juvenile courts; and a criminal justice system that takes over when the juvenile delinquency system fails to change youthful offenders. He said that juvenile justice reform must focus on the family, schools, community associations, and religious institutions. He discussed the formal workings of the juvenile justice system and the need for appropriate detention and punishment.