NCJ Number
169858
Date Published
1998
Length
128 pages
Annotation
This overview of teen violence considers its scope and causes, the influence of the media, gang violence, teens in the juvenile justice system, and the prevention of teen violence.
Abstract
A review of the scope of teen violence advises that although the number of juveniles arrested for violent crimes has increased, the data show that juveniles are not responsible for most of the increases in violent crimes. FBI figures indicate that adults were responsible for 74 percent of the overall increase in violent crimes from 1985 to 1994. Of all juveniles living in the United States in 1994, fewer than one-half of 1 percent were arrested for a violent offense (less than 1 in 200). Further, most of the worst teen violence was committed by only a small portion of those kids. A review of the causes of teen violence advises that there is no simple or single explanation for the way violence by and against teens has grown. Some factors identified in research and surveys are the easy availability of guns, the effects of drugs and alcohol, the battle for control of drug trafficking, gang culture, poverty, single-parent homes and the breakdown of the family, poor education, poor housing, and unemployment. A separate chapter on the media and teen violence outlines various perspectives on this issue and concludes that experts do not agree on whether violent entertainment leads its audience to behave more violently. It is likely, however, that whatever influence media violence has upon youth, it will never match the real-life violent atmosphere surrounding many of today's youth. A chapter on juvenile gang violence considers the nature of gangs, the use of violence in gangs, and the relationship between gang violence and drugs. Another chapter reviews the ways in which the juvenile justice system is dealing with violent juveniles, including waiver to adult court, more and longer prison terms, and alternatives to institutionalization such as boot camps. A chapter on the prevention of teen violence discusses the public health approach to prevention, preventing violence in the family, violence prevention in schools, the influence of Boys and Girls Clubs, and conflict resolution. Other prevention topics addressed are police partnerships with the community, school-based programs, and the prevention of gang violence. A list of organizations to contact, 5 suggestions for further reading, 32 references, and a subject index