Issues Involved in Juvenile Delinquency

Paper Summary:

This paper examines data and figures related to juvenile delinquency and discusses the disproportionate number of African-American youths involved in violent crimes. It examines whether this problem stems from different social and economic backgrounds and questions whether there is something the authorities could do to change this worrying phenomenon.

From the Paper:

"Juvenile delinquency is often an issue of concern among parents, educators, and society in general. A review by Cohn (2003) outlines statistics in regards to juvenile delinquency. In the year 2000, juveniles accounted for 17 percent of all arrests and 16 percent of all violent crime arrests in the United States that year. A considerable growth in the number of juvenile violent crime arrests began in the late 1980s and reached its peak in 1994. However, 2000 marked the sixth consecutive year that the rate juvenile arrests for the Violent Crime Index Declined. The timeframe between 1994 and 2000 marked a 41 percent decrease in the juvenile arrest rate, which was the lowest since 1985. The juvenile murder rate also decreased dramatically between 1993 and 2000, by a mark of 74%. The juvenile murder rate in 2000 was at its lowest since the 1960s. In the year 2000, juveniles were involved in 9 percent of murder arrests, 14 percent of aggravated assault arrests, 33 percent of arrests for burglary, 25 percent of robbery arrests, and 24 percent of arrests for weapons charges. Girls were involved in one-third of all arrests of young people ages 13-15. The racial composition of the juvenile population in general was 79 percent white (including Hispanics), 16 percent black, 4 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, and 1 Percent American Indian. Of all juvenile arrests for violent crimes, 55 percent involved white youths and 42 percent blacks. These numbers are extremely disproportionate the racial groups' representation in the general population. Even though the facts point to a decrease in acts of juvenile delinquency, it still remains a cause for concern, and its causes and prevention must be addressed."

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