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Juvenile Homicide | What is Psychopathy? | Juvenile Psychopathy Research | Multicultural Issues
Violence in schools is not a new problem. Reports of student violence can be found throughout American history. Congressional inquiries over a perceived increase in youth violence in schools can be found in every decade since the 1950s (e.g., Bayh, 1975; Crews & Counts, 1997). School safety should be recognized as an ongoing concern that deserves more systematic and sustained attention, and reliance on evidence-based practices rather than sporadic, crisis-driven responses to high profile incidents (Cornell & Mayer, 2010). Research suggests that we should develop a long-term strategic plan for school safety.
- Juvenile Homicide
- Juvenile homicide rates peaked in the 1990's and then sharply declined.
- What is Psychopathy?
- A summary of adult psychopathy and the Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991) which is used to assess psychopathy in forensic and correctional settings.
- Juvenile Psychopathy
- A summary of issues in juvenile psychopathy and a review of psychopathy research conducted by the Youth Violence Project.
- Multicultural Issues
- Statistics indicating the overrepresentation of minority youth in the juvenile justice system.
Why did violent juvenile crime increase in the 1980's?Violent juvenile crime likely increased for several reasons. Law enforcement authorities point to the introduction of crack cocaine and the accompanying crimes associated with drug sales and addiction. At the same time, the U.S. gun market was flooded with cheaper, but more lethal handguns that frequently found their way into the hands of juveniles. Juveniles were also likely affected by the prevalence of single-parent families and inadequate parental supervision after school. Finally, extensive research has shown the impact of media violence on the development of aggressive attitudes and behavior. |
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Juvenile Arrests for Violent Crimes: 1995-2008 |
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According to FBI Uniform Crime Reports, juvenile arrests for violent crimes, including murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault homicide have declined significantly since the early 1990's. Juvenile arrests for these violent offenses have been fairly stable in recent years. |
| Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States, 1994-2008: Uniform Crime Reports.
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Why did violent juvenile crime decline? Student reports of both violent crimes and thefts have declined substantially since the early 1990s (Dinkes, Kemp, Baum, & Snyder, 2009).Violent juvenile crime declined for a number of reasons. The nation's economic improvement meant more jobs for young adults and single parents. Several improvements in law enforcement, such as community policing, a reduction in the crack cocaine market, and restrictions on youth gun access, helped reduce the amount of violent juvenile crime. Also, the massive increase in school and after-school programs allowed youth to participate in more constructive activities. |
| Source: Dinkes, Kemp, Baum, & Snyder, 2009. | |
Juvenile vs. Adult: Violent Crime Arrests, 2008
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According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, a total of 457,455 arrests for violent crimes were made in 2008. Of those arrested, 73,970 (16%) were juveniles. |
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States, 2008: Uniform Crime Reports. Juvenile vs. Adult: Property Crime Arrests, 2008 |
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According to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, a total of 1,305,135 arrests for property crimes were made in 2008. Of those arrested, 339,990 (26%), were juveniles. |
Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Crime in the United States, 2008: Uniform Crime Reports. |
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