Freddy Krueger isn't just a character in a movie. It's also the nickname of a Las Vegas inmate who participates in a Scared Straight program for troubled teens.

"The burly, bald criminal with the intense stare seems to enjoy frightening troubled youngsters, many of whom have been forced by court order to visit him, with graphic tales of the very unpleasant things he'll do to them if they ever end up near him in grown-up jail."

While the threats may be exaggerated for dramatic effect, it doesn't detract from the very real, and grim, picture that's painted of life behind bars. Many parents consider it their last best shot at keeping their kids from living lives of crime. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Labels: criminals, juvenile_crime, role_models

Wyoming's juvenile justice program coordinator is pushing for alternatives to jail for the state's juvenile offenders. In Beth Evans' study, which was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, she argues that jail is not only expensive, but often exposes young people to even more violent crime.

"Evans made clear in her report that gathering the information wasn't easy. For example, she said many youths are locked up for violating probation, but documentation showing what those youths did to get in trouble in the first place can be difficult to track down."

Wyoming is currently the only state choosing not to comply with the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act that governs how and when youths should be jailed. Source: Billings Gazette

Labels: alternatives, delinquents, juvenile_crime

Many of the young people who filed into conference rooms at the Access Business Center had never attended a job interview. All six young men had just been released from Camp Joseph Paige juvenile detention center in La Verne, California.

"To prepare them for life in the real world, members of the La Verne Chamber of Commerce participated in mock interviews with the teens... Each of the six boys sat across from a panel of two business owners in each of the two conference rooms."

The boys were asked such questions as "What qualifications do you bring to this job?" and "What would you do with your salary?" Following the sessions, the boys were given tips regarding everything from body language to overall appearance.

Randy Herbon, director of Camp Joseph Paige, thinks the program is invaluable because it teaches the boys "that they're not destined to fail." Source: Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

Labels: jobs, juvenile_crime, skills

Homeboy Industries is a Southern California referral service, but its clients are a little out of the ordinary - many are gang or ex-gang members.

"When Latino gang members complained they couldn't get hired because of their criminal records, Boyle put them to work doing odd jobs around Dolores Mission. But there were more out-of-work gang members than jobs, so when a nearby bakery warehouse went up for sale, Homeboy Industries was launched."

Homeboy Industries now includes five businesses and employs more than 150 junior staffers - all former gang members and other at-risk youth. One of their many success stories is of a female former gang leader who was first hired as an office assistant, but later became the director of volunteers for Oakland's mayor. Source: Oakland Tribune

Learn more about juvenile crime at AboutJuvenileDeliquents.com.

Labels: criminals, delinquents, juvenile_crime

Joe Early became the Worcester County (Massachusetts) District Attorney in 2006, declaring as one of his priorities the improvement of the juvenile court system. Early hopes that timely intervention will prevent some teens from becoming career criminals.

"'If you take 100 percent of the kids in the juvenile system, 80 percent of them are going to be fine, they may get in trouble once or twice, but they have a social network to fall back on and get back on track,' Early said. 'Five percent, no matter what you do, are incorrigible and are going to be repeat offenders. Then there's 15 percent that could go either way. Those are the ones we are going after.'"

Efforts are being focused not only on the juvenile justice system, but also on school districts, community groups, and social services. Early is also working to increase the availability of parenting classes for pregnant women. As part of his strategy to reduce the number of repeat teen offenders, Early has moved 10 of his best prosecutors and the assistant district attorney to the juvenile court system. Read more at SentinelandEnterprise.com.

Labels: community, courts, juvenile_crime

A new study in Canada has found that teens are more likely to commit crimes during the day, during and immediately following school hours. It's an unexpected find that contradicts assumptions that teens "act up" more in the evening and on weekends when there isn't much to do.

"Lead researcher Leslie MacRae, of the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family, told CTV Calgary that youths were mostly committing crimes between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m...Calgary Community & Neighborhood Services' Chris Branch said Tuesday that the study is a real message to parents and to the community that something needs to be done during those critical hours."

Most of the young people who committed crimes came from troubled homes where there was little or no parental involvement or supervision. Read more at CTV.ca.

Learn more about parental liability for juvenile crimes at AboutJuvenileDeliquents.com.

Labels: delinquents, juvenile_crime

The city of Asheville, N.C., has hired two investigators to focus exclusively on the city's gang activity. The decision was made last year after the city determined that there were at least six gangs operating in the area.

"The investigators work with patrol officers, corrections officials, other law enforcement and citizens to identify gang members and prevent them from committing crime... Their goal is to concentrate on the law enforcement side of the gang problem, depending on the community to report criminal activity, and reach out to troubled youths."

The investigators, who were hired in January 2008, have already identified 20 gangs in the area, though the number fluctuates. While teens make up most of the gangs, investigators have also found motorcycle gangs and white supremacists groups. Read more at Citizen-Times.com.

Labels: criminals, gangs, juvenile_crime