NCJ Number
108343
Date Published
1986
Length
63 pages
Annotation
As part of the juvenile serious habitual offender/drug involved (SHO/DI) program, detailed 1986 information was collected from official police reports and enhanced case profiles of SHO/DI youths identified at project sites in five cities in Florida, California, Colorado, and Virginia.
Abstract
Data were compiled on 408 current and past juveniles, charged with a total of 5,826 offenses. The typical serious, chronic offender is a male, 15 to 17 years old, who lives with a single parent (usually the mother). Approximately 20 percent had been physically or sexually abused, and a third came from a home environment that includes parental criminality. A majority used one or more of a wide variety of drugs, and almost 40 percent had a history of running away. They averaged 14 arrests during their adolescent years, with the most frequent crimes being burglary and theft, although one in every six offenses involved violence against a person. Results illustrate the benefits of the SHO/DI approach in focusing systemwide attention on serious and chronic juvenile offenders and in providing an effective means for balancing the rights of juveniles with the need to preserve community safety. An index of program commentaries is appended. 15 figures and 9 tables. (Author abstract modified)