NCJ Number
146624
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 21 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1994) Pages: 36-42
Date Published
1994
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Issues involving juvenile crime are presented.
Abstract
This article discusses the rising number of crimes committed by juveniles and suggests options to stem this problem. Factors cited in the article as contributing to this rise include a shift in adolescent attitudes toward the value of life and the ready availability of handguns. Results of various studies are provided. Societal reasons for the development of these attitudes include, for the less affluent, a sense of hopelessness borne out of poverty and increased regular exposure to violence while, for the more affluent, easier access to cars, drugs, and guns; the weakening of the family unit; media celebration of violence; and changing demographics tied to the crime rate. At the local level, short-term school-based efforts are being taken to stem the tide of teen violence. These efforts include, inter alia, the addition of drive-by shooting drills to the traditional fire drill, the fencing-in of school campuses, the addition of metal detectors, locker searches, the banning of wearing overcoats or carrying backpacks which could conceal weapons, the hiring of armed, plain-clothed security guards, and the enactment of laws banning gun possession by minors. At the Federal level, the proposed Safe Schools Act would provide $175 million to enhance school security. The proposed crime bill would spend $3.4 billion on an additional 50,000 new police officers, $100 million to establish a "police corps" along the lines of the military's ROTC program, and military-style boot camps for youthful offenders. The author urges that long-term efforts to cure societal reasons for increased teen violence need to be pursued. Specific forms of long-term preventive law enforcement efforts proposed by the author include community policing, the implementation of Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) programs, and the establishment of anti- gang task forces like San Diego's Jurisdictions Unified for Drug Gang Enforcement (JUDGE) task force. Only through the joint efforts by a coalition of parents, schools, clergy, government, the judiciary, the penal system, and law enforcement will attitudes by changed, role models provided, violence deterred, and, if need be, violent teens be punished.