Risk, Delinquency, and Gangs in Hawaii: I. Gender, Race, and Youthful Criminality

• NCJ Number: 169880
• Author(s): M Chesney-Lind
• Date Published: 1997
• Length: 95 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Hawaii Office of Youth Services
• Corporate Author: University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Sale Source: University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Report to the 19th Hawaii State Legislature.

Annotation

Following a review of trends in juvenile crime in Hawaii and a discussion of media perspectives on youth gangs and delinquency, this report documents associations between gender, race, and delinquent behavior.

Abstract

During 1985-95 arrests of Hawaii youth increased 36 percent compared with a national juvenile arrest increase of 28.3 percent during the 1985-94 period. Virtually all of Hawaii's increase was due to a rise in arrests for non-criminal, status offenses (running away from home and curfew violation). Juvenile arrests for violent crimes increased 37.6 percent from 1985 to 1995. Hawaii's 1995 juvenile arrest trends continue to support research done on gender and delinquency. Boys are arrested for a majority of the total crimes committed by juveniles as well as a higher proportion of violent crimes. Status offenses have continued to increase for both genders. An analysis of media coverage of delinquency and gangs shows that the media tend to focus on serious juvenile crime and gang behavior, without indicating what proportion of total juvenile crime or overall crime is involved. This suggests to media users that juvenile crime and gangs may be more prevalent than official statistics suggest. Self-reported delinquency among a sample of intermediate school students and youths served by agencies supported by the Youth Gang Response System shows some variation in delinquent behavior and gang involvement by ethnic groups; however, the variation is not significant. Perhaps the most important finding in this regard is that none of the three ethnic groups generally associated with delinquent behavior in Hawaii (Hawaiians, Samoans, and Filipinos) scored highest on any one question in the survey. The mere fact that there is such a high sample of these three ethnic groups represented in the agency sample suggests that these three groups feel especially marginalized in Hawaiian society. 26 tables, 17 charts, 17 references, and appended "Positive Alternatives to Gangs Education Survey Post Test"