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Juvenile Robbery Arrests in Honolulu: An Overview

NCJ Number
177286
Author(s)
M Chesney-Lind; D Mayeda; V Paramore; S Okamoto; N Marker
Date Published
1999
Length
44 pages
Annotation
Robbery files from the Honolulu, Hawaii, Police Department, were used to study the details of robberies that involved juvenile perpetrators in 1991 and 1997 and were reported in the city and county of Honolulu.
Abstract

Results revealed that robbery on Oahu was mainly a male offense, although the proportion of female offenders increased markedly between 1991 and 1997. Juvenile robbery arrestees had a median age of 16 in 1991 and 15 in 1997. The vast majority of those arrested for juvenile robbery came from economically marginalized ethnic groups. Sixty-seven persons were victimized by juvenile robbers in 1991; 128 were victimized in 1997. The number of adult victims stayed about the same; the number of juvenile victims more than doubled. Most juvenile victims were at least casually acquainted with their assailants. The median value of all items stolen was $19 in 1991 and $10 in 1997. The majority of the offenses did not involve weapons, although the proportion of robberies involving weapons increased over the study period. In addition, interviews with the Department of Education and the Honolulu Police Department suggested that an informal redefinition has occurred and that less serious offenses are now more likely to be brought into the juvenile justice system. Findings suggested the desirability of a balanced approach to the problem of youth bullying and robbery; this approach would include better adult supervision of streets around schools and other areas where youth gather, as well as other actions. Figures, tables, appended list of schools and excerpts of State laws, and 20 references