Between 1982 and 1991, the juvenile arrest rate for murder rose 93 percent, for aggravated assault 72 percent, and for forcible rape 24 percent. More violent crime is committed by older adolescents than any other age group. Teenagers from fatherless families are more prone to criminal behavior than those from intact families. This article argues that the problem will worsen as the young men who will comprise the crime-committing population cohort by the beginning of the next century are now young boys who are receiving little or no moral guidance as a result of the decline of American family values. In addition, the juvenile justice system has failed to stem the tide of delinquency because of judges' reluctance to sentence young offenders to jail and their reliance on ineffective rehabilitation programs. Measures that will serve the objectives of both punishing and rehabilitating youthful offenders involve hard work and financial responsibility, loss of freedom, facing the victims, parental responsibility, and procedural reforms.