Violent Juvenile Offenders: Crimes, Causes, and Possible Solutions Essay by Top Papers

According to the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ), "juvenile arrests between 1988 and 1992 increased by 11 percent...murder arrests - up 51 percent for juveniles" (Gluck, 1997, p. 65). By 2002, homicide was the fourth leading cause of death for children ages one through 11 according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) (Snyder & Sickmund, 2006). This has prompted officials to take a close look at juvenile crime and consider whether current methods of punishment for youth offenders such as incarceration, camps, group homes, and other alternate programs are effective. In addition, adolescent crisis with self-identity and substance abuse may be two predecessors to deviant juvenile behavior and eventual participation in crime.