Violent Juvenile Offender - An Empirical Portrait (From Violent Juvenile Offender - An Anthology, P 83-112, 1984, Robert A Mathias et al, ed. See NCJ-95108)

• NCJ Number: 95168
• Author(s): E Hartstone; K V Hansen
• Date Published: 1984
• Length: 30 pages
• Grant Number(s): 80-JN-AX-0006; 82-MU-AX-0003
• Sponsoring Agency: US Securities and Exchange Cmssn
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Available on microfiche as NCJ-95108.

Annotation

Descriptive data on a group of violent juveniles are presented to aid program planners in developing and selecting treatment programs, modalities, and services which address the needs of violent youth and the factors that contribute to their violent behaviors.

Abstract

Data are provided on a sample of 114 violent youths in four States meeting legally defined violent offender criteria over a 14-month period. Data are presented on the youths' delinquent careers, family histories, school and employment experiences, peer group and gang involvement, and drug/alcohol abuse. Both official court records and self-report interviews show that the youths have extensive delinquent careers. Violent youths engage in a variety of offenses, participate in violent offenses early in their delinquent careers, experience considerable violence within the family, and lack a high degree of commitment to school. Several implications emerge from the data. There are a number of youths who repeatedly engage in violent offenses against persons. Treatment programs or services should be tailored to this subgroup of juvenile offenders, focusing especially on the youth's ties to family and community. Tables, footnotes, and 57 references are provided.