Sponsored Links :
Myths Pertaining To Juvenile Crime
Criminologists believe that today’s juvenile justice system is infective in controlling delinquent behavior and vandalism by young offenders. |
According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (1999) there has been increase in violent crime committed by juveniles. The violent crime arrest rate for juveniles increased by 62 percent between 1980 and 1994.
There are some myths and realities about juvenile crime and juvenile justice system.
Myth: There has been rise in juvenile crime rate. Youth are becoming more violent and increasingly getting prosecuted for violent crime and vandalism.
Reality: According to FBI data, there has been decrease in juvenile crime by 30 percent over the past five years. In fact, children and youth are at much higher risk of being victims than the culprits of violent crime. Teenagers are nearly three times as likely as adults to be victims of violent crime.
Myth: School violence is increasing and children are not safe in schools.
Reality: There has been decrease in school-related violence and deaths from peak fifty-five in 1992-93 school years to twenty-four in 1998-99 year. Thus, the probability of becoming a victim of school-related violence is slightly less than one million.
Myth: A generation of “super predators” will bring tremendous increase in juvenile crime.
Reality: Research shows that changes in juvenile population are not related to juvenile violent crime trends. For example, although there was negligible increase in juvenile population between 1994 and 1997, there was a twenty-three percent decline in juvenile crime and juvenile arrest during that period.
Myth: Transferring and trying youth in adult’s criminal court reduces juvenile crime.
Reality: So far there is no evidence that transferring and trying youths in adult criminal court will reduce juvenile crime rate. According to one study in Florida, juvenile offenders who were tried in adult criminal court found that those sentenced to adult prisons were more likely to re-offend and commit more serious crime than those prosecuted in juvenile court.
More Articles :
|
Myths Pertaining To Juvenile Crime
