In recent years, the average age for first arrest has dropped significantly, and younger boys and girls are committing these crimes. Between 60-80% of adolescents, and pre-adolescents engage in some form of juvenile offending [2].These can range from status offenses (such as underage smoking), to property crimes, to violent crimes. The percent of teens who offend is so high that it would seem to be a cause for worry. However, juvenile offending can be considered normative adolescent behaviour [3]. This is because most teens tend to offend by committing non-violent crimes, only once or a few times, and only during adolescence.
“In 2008, law enforcement agencies in the United States made an estimated 2.11 million arrests of persons younger than age 18. * Overall, there were 3% fewer juvenile arrests in 2008 than in 2007, and juvenile violent crime arrests fell 2%” (Puzzanchera, 2009, p. 1). Although there was a small increase in juvenile offenses during 2008 it was
In 2001, U.S. law enforcement agencies made an estimated 2.3 million arrests of persons under the age of 18 (Snyder, 2003). In spite of the eruption in violence involving juveniles in schools throughout the U.S., juvenile crime has decreased. This paper shall address the overall decrease in juvenile crime, the increase in drug offenses and simple assaults and the implications for juvenile females and minorities. In addition, assess the tracking of juvenile arrests as a method of measuring the amount of and trends in juvenile justice. Decrease in Juvenile Crime In 2001, according to the FBI, juveniles accounted for 17% of all arrests and 15% of all violent crime arrests (Snyder, 2003).
Studies have shown that juveniles are more acceptable to committing crimes in groups than by themselves. Therefore they are more likely to get arrested when in large groups then adults are to getting arrested. This was during a period when narcotics came into the mix. More and more juveniles were experimenting with drugs and alcohol and usually would end up getting into some sort of trouble. Four of every five children and teen arrested in state juvenile justice systems are under the influence of alcohol or drugs while committing their crimes, test positive for drugs, are arrested for committing an alcohol or drug offense, admit having substance abuse and addiction problems, or share some combination of these characteristics.
Further, the Property Crime Index decreased by 20%, larceny-theft by 17%, murder by 5%, motor vehicle theft by 50%, and burglary by 14% (Puzzanchera, 2008). Juvenile Arrests and Monitoring Unit Due to an increase in firearm offenses in Fort Myers, Florida, probation officers as well as police officers were forced to monitor juveniles convicted of firearm offenses for prosecutors, judiciary, and probation. “At least fourteen juvenile offenders convicted of firearm offenses are JUVENILE CRIME STATISTICS
The study conducted by (Fox, 1996) shows the pronounced increased role in male homicide problem, who are aged 14-24. Although males are 8% of population, they commit 40% of the murders. Homicide is now reaching down to a much younger age group (Fox, 1996). The age characteristics of juveniles indicated that the rate of violence among males between the ages of 15 to 17 according to Tatem-Kelley et al. (1997) as rated in violence committed (2015).
Wheeler, Joey Proposition/Support Period: 2 December 5, 2012 Juvenile Justice Essay The vexing question of whether an adult trial and sentence are deemed just for juvenile criminals plague the judicial system as more adolescents commit violent crimes in today’s society. As punishment, most juvenile offenders who are found guilty of certain misdemeanors are sent to juvenile detention facilities for a relatively short period or, in some cases, at least until they are 18 years of age, at which time they are transferred to an adult prison. However, there are an unfortunate few who are tried and directly punished as adults; they are either sentenced to death row or incarcerated in a state prison infested with hardcore adult criminals and felons for as long as a lifetime. All youths, despite the crimes they committed, should not be tried and sentenced as adults. Many juvenile offenders are not intellectually or
Every single person living in the United States today is affected by juvenile crime. It affects parents, neighbors, teachers, and families. It affects the victims of crime, the perpetrators, and the bystanders. While delinquency rates have been decreasing, rates are still too high. There have been numerous programs that have attempted to lower this rate.
Family Life and Juvenile Delinquency Researchers have established that there many paths to juvenile delinquency and numerous risk factors that contribute to a youth’s opportunity to offend. The environment in which a child is raised plays a very crucial role in predicting their behaviour in adolescence and subsequent, in adulthood. Delinquency and criminal behaviour typically begin in the home and continue into society. Many modern criminologists argue that youth’s who were deprived of parental warmth and affection had weak family and social bonds and tended to develop a set of beliefs that were negative and hostile towards society (Walsh, 1991). Furthermore, child maltreatment is a consequential social problem.
‘Widely publicized school shootings during the late 1990’s and early years of the twenty-first century have raised public concerns about rising adolescent violence and created the perception that juvenile delinquency is increasing.’ Statistics shows that juvenile crime rates are actually declining. In 2001, the total number of juvenile arrests was 2.3 million—a figure 4 percent below the total for 2000 and 20 percent below the 1997 total….. However this is a situation that evolved over the years and has not been dealt with appropriately and it can lead to murder, burglary, suicide, school dropout and a state of depression as well. I strongly agree that juvenile delinquency is most prominent in the secondary educational system and it can hamper the child’s ability to learn and it can also cause a nervous breakdown of the child’s nervous system. The three major factors in the secondary educational system that contribute to juvenile delinquency are single parent families, delinquent peers and the mass media.