Youth, Violence, and Crime

By Emily Battaglia

Recent research has indicated a decline in violent crimes by America’s youth. A 2003 report by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and DelinquencyPrevention (OJJDP) indicates that the juvenile violent crime arrest rate is the lowest it has been in a generation. However, certain aspects of youth crime remain troubling. The female proportion of arrests increased significantly between 1980 and 2002, and the juvenile arrest rate for simple assault has more than doubled since 1980.  

In 2003, 2.2 million people under the age of 18 were arrested. Certain risk factors have been identified for youth with regard to crime and involvement with the juvenile justice system. In general, youth who have attachments—to family, groups, and the community—are less likely to be involved in illegal activities. A large proportion of youth who are involved in the juvenile justice system report experiencing trauma at some time in their lives. Other factors that place youth at risk for delinquent behavior include poverty, educational failure, family stress, substance abuse, physical abuse, dysfunctional family interaction, deviant peer associations, and lack of recreational or vocational opportunities. 

Specific personal, social, and familial factors have been recognized to place youth at risk for gang involvement, a significant form of delinquent behavior in the United States. The risk factors include limited attachment to the community, over-reliance on antisocial peers, poor parental supervision, substance abuse, poor achievement in school or work, not feeling safe at home in or in the community, and a need to belong. In general, youth involved in gangs tend to come from groups that are at the greatest economic and social disadvantage. 

The inability of a young person to feel safe in his or her community has been highlighted as a major factor in gang involvement, and subsequently in violent crime. In 2003, a national survey found that one in three high school students reported having property stolen or damaged at school. In addition, one in 20 high-school age youth stayed home from school at least once for fear of school-related crime. Approximately six percent of high school students reported carrying a weapon (e.g., gun, knife, or club) on school property within the last 30 days (a decrease from 12% in 1993).  Those youth who reported bringing a weapon onto school property represented about one-third of those who said they had carried a weapon anywhere in the past month. 

The OJJDP report indicates a large decrease in the number of murders committed by juveniles from the mid-1990s to 2002. Significantly, this change was driven primarily by a decline in minority males killing minority males. 

Experts cite various protective factors that help youth avoid involvement with crime and the juvenile justice system. The OJJDP found that juveniles who lived with both biological parents had lower lifetime prevalence of law-violating behaviors than did juveniles who lived in other family types. At the individual level, protective factors include academic achievement, intolerance toward deviance, and positive social skills. At the family and social level, positive relationships with parents and other adults, consistent parental interaction and supervision, high parental expectations for academic performance, and positive involvement in social activities help protect youth. 

Snyder, Howard N., and Sickmund, Melissa. 2006. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2006 National Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Departmentof Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and DelinquencyPrevention. 

Cauffman, E., Feldman, S.S., Waterman, J., and Steiner, H. (1998). Posttraumatic stress disorder among female juvenile offenders. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 37 (11), 1209-1217. Retrieve on August 4, 2008, from http://www.nctsnet.org/nctsn_assets/pdfs/edu_materials/trauma_among_girls_in_jjsys.pdf 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2007). Results from the 2006 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings (Office of Applied Studies, NSDUH Series H-32, DHHS Publication No. SMA 07-4293. Rockville, MD.