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Is Youth Crime Getting Out of Control? Prevention Is Better Than Cure

NCJ Number
182402
Journal
Chronicle Volume: 8 Issue: 1 Dated: July 1999 Pages: 1-36
Editor(s)
Willie McCarney Dr.
Date Published
July 1999
Length
36 pages
Annotation
To prevent youth crime and delinquency, it is important to understand how antisocial behavior develops and design programs that interrupt that developmental pathway.
Abstract
The most serious and chronic juvenile offenders often show signs of antisocial behavior as early as preschool years. Three important risk factors associated with the early development of antisocial behavior are identified: adverse maternal health-related behaviors during pregnancy associated with children's neuropsychological deficits, child abuse and neglect, and a troubled maternal life course. Juvenile crime prevention is addressed in terms of the need for coordination among criminal justice system agencies, social service agencies, schools, youth organizations, community organizations, and the media. A judicial perspective on youth crime in Canada, and the juvenile justice system in China is discussed in the context of social reforms. Mediation in the penal process is addressed, the disappearance of children and the role of the media in Italy is examined, and children's rights are discussed in terms of artificial procreation.