The Asian-Pacific region is witnessing a psychosocial phenomenon referred to as "prolonged youth." Changing social conventions are evidenced in such areas as extended education, delayed marriage, postponed initial employment, and revised terms of reference for family life and community affiliation. These changes have created a long interval between adolescence and adulthood. The influence of peer groups and the impact of extracultural values increasingly conflict with weakened traditional patterns of authority and established forms of socialization throughout the region. The socioeconomic situation of youth in the region is affected by the poor employment outlook, lack of access to education, influence of the mass media, and a decline in traditional social institutions. Certain crime trends have emerged in the region, including increased drug-related youth crime, increased female juvenile crime and delinquency, increased urban youth crime, and a growing proportion of school-age offenders. One response to youth crime has been the establishment of youth organizations to serve as an adjuct to family and other traditional social institutions. These organizations can involve youth in planning and establishing educational, social, cultural, and recreational facilities in the community and encourage young people to assume responsibility for their physical environment. Long-term solutions to youth crime, however, must address fundamental issues rather than simply focus on symptoms and must aim to deter criminal activity before it starts.