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Youth Violence

NCJ Number
146888
Editor(s)
M D Biskup, C P Cozic
Date Published
1992
Length
263 pages
Annotation
This report focuses on the causes and possible solutions to the problem of youth violence from several different perspectives.
Abstract
According to the FBI, homicides by juveniles increased 60 percent between 1981 and 1990, while homicides by adults increased 5.2 percent. Teenagers are bringing guns into schools and using them for increasingly trivial reasons. It is no longer unusual to see seven- to 9-year-olds coming into the criminal justice system. This book examines the problem of youth violence through a series of articles written by a number of different authors. The first chapter addresses the question, "Is youth violence a serious problem?" Several authors focus on examples of teenage gun use, rape, and the victims of juvenile offenders, and take the position that youth violence is increasing. Three of the authors assert that the problem of youth violence has been exaggerated. In chapter two, possible causes of youth violence are considered. Among the theories proposed are the breakdown of the traditional family, television violence, rock lyrics, greed, drug use and child abuse. Chapter three focuses on measures to reduce youth violence and chapter four discusses measures for reducing gang violence. In chapter five, the question, "Should violent youths receive harsh punishment?" is addressed. Proponents of harsh punishment argue that the punishment should be based on the crime, not the age, of the perpetrator. Even the use of capital punishment is endorsed. Several different arguments are made against harsh punishment including one that claims that juvenile offenders need rehabilitation not punishment. It proposes an alternative to incarceration in a traditional juvenile facility in which hard work, discipline and education are stressed in a remote setting that discourages escape without the use of artificial barriers. graphs, bibliography