NCJ Number
197666
Date Published
2002
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This chapter addresses trends in juvenile arrests for crimes of violence, firearms and youth violence, the dynamics of violent juvenile offending, characteristics of violent juveniles, victims of juvenile violence, and theories on violent juvenile offending.
Abstract
According to official figures (law enforcement data), overall arrests of juveniles for violent crimes continue to decline. From 1990 to 1999, decreases in male arrests for every violent crime occurred, with a 55.9-percent decrease in arrests for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, followed by a 16.9-percent decline in arrests for robbery, 12.9 percent for forcible rape, and 5.1 percent for aggravated assault. Studies have found a strong relationship between the accessibility, possession, and use of firearms by youth and juvenile violence. This is particularly true for juvenile homicide and youth gang violence. Various individual and contextual factors and correlates of juvenile violence have been established by researchers. These factors include early introduction to violence, hyperactivity, aggressive behavior, risk-taking, family dysfunction, school troubles, additional antisocial behavior, and community circumstances. Demographic predictive studies of violent youthful offenders indicate late adolescent boys and young male adults are considerably more likely than girls or older males to be serious or violent offenders. Violent juvenile offending typically begins around 14-15 years of age. Although youth violence occurs among all racial and ethnic groups, Black youths are overrepresented in violent crime arrest figures relative to their numbers in the juvenile population. Although violent juvenile offenders victimize people of all ages, racial groups and ethnicities, classes, and income levels, they tend to perpetrate violence offenses against victims of similar age, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic background. Juvenile murderers tend to kill males and acquaintances, most often with a firearm. In concluding with explanations of theories on violent juvenile offending, the chapter focuses on social learning theory, stress theory, the subculture-of-violence theory, and the mental-illness theory. 1 figure and 1 table