Transcript Juvenile Justice - Hawaii Community College

Juvenile Justice
Chapter 6
Serious, Chronic and Violent
Offenders
Definitions
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Serious Juvenile Offender
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Serious Child Delinquent
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Is between the ages of 7 and 12 and has one or more UCR Part
I Offense conviction(s)
Chronic Juvenile Offender
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Has one or more UCR Part I Offense conviction(s)
Has a record of 5 or more separate charges of delinquency,
regardless of offense
Violent Juvenile Offender
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Conviction of UCR Part I Violent Offense against person
Has prior adjudication of violent offense
OR Conviction of murder
Chronic Juvenile Offenders
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Chronic offending has two elements:
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Frequency of offending
Length of time over which offending persists
Proportions of Chronic Offenders
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Varies from study to study
Amount of crime varies by ethnicity:
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non-white offenders account for majority of serious
delinquency
Higher in Males
First-time Offenders
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Onset of criminal behaviors at age 10 or below tend
to have more serious violent offending in adolescence
and early adult
Another study set age at 12 years or younger 2-3
times more likely to become serious violent offenders
Chronic Juvenile Offenders
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Risk Factors for Recidivism
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Males with low socio-economic status
History of Juvenile offenses at younger ages
Physically or sexual abuse
Raised in single-parent households
Significant Family problems
Delinquent peers
History of Special Education classes
Strongest Predictors, include age of first commitment,
contact with law enforcement & non-severe pathology
Violent Juvenile Offenders
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Onset of Trajectories for Youth Violence
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Early, before puberty
Late, begins in adolescence
Generally commits more crimes for longer period
of time.
 Pattern of escalating violence through childhood,
and sometimes through adulthood
 30-40% males & 15-30% females report having
committed a serious offense by age 17
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Violent Adolescent Females
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Girls generally enter JJS through Status
Offenses
Violence in adolescent females often the
result of a combination of substance
abuse, victimization, economic conditions
and dysfunctional family life
Females tend to perpetrate violence as a
result of their own victimization
Predictors of Youth Violence
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Exposure to Violence
Early Aggressive behaviors
Early delinquency
Animal Abuse
Children who are victims or witness violence
Social forces: prejudice, economic inequality,
attitudes toward violence
Ineffective Parenting: Lack of supervision
Accepting violence as normal
Violent Peers
Myths About Youth Violence
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Future Offenders can be identified in early
childhood
Child abuse and neglect always leads to violent
behavior later in life
African-American and Hispanic youth are more
prone to violence than any other racial group
Super-predators threaten the U.S.
Trying youth as adults reduces youth crime
Nothing works with preventing youth violence
Most violent youth will be arrested violent crimes
Antisocial Personality Disorders
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APA DSM IV TR definition:
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Over 18 years old who show evidence of conduct
disorder before age 15. See pg. 174
Conduct Disorder
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Prolonged antisocial behavior that can range from
truancy to fistfights
Difficulty following rules
Viewed as mentally ill
Aggression to people and animals
Destruction of property
Lying and stealing
Serious violations of rules
Guns and Juveniles
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More than 4,000 youth die of gun violence
every year
Teenager more likely to die as a result of
gunshot wounds
Boys who own guns for protection are
more likely to be involved with juvenile
delinquency than boys who own guns for
sport or do not own guns
Decline in Juvenile Arrests for Violent Index Crime
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1994 or 1995, depending on the study showed
that violent crime among youth peaked during
these periods at approximately 800,000 Violent
Index Crimes
By 2000, Violent Index Crime had significantly
decreased to about 98,900
Decline in violence was attributed to:
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Strong economy,
changing demographics,
changes in the market for illegal drugs and use of
firearms,
expanded imprisonment,
policing innovations and
growing tolerance for violent behavior
School Crime and Violence
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School violence is decreasing
Youth carrying guns to school decrease from
12% to 6%
Bullying has two key components, repeated
harmful acts and imbalance of power
1.6 million youth in grades 6-10 are bullied at
least once weekly
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Physical:
Verbal:
Psychological
Sexual
School Crime and Violence
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School shootings
2/3 of 37 attackers felt bullied in school
Shooters usually gave subtle clues before attack
75% of the 37 shooters disclosed their plans to
classmates prior to shooting
Myths about shooters
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School violence is an epidemic
All shooters are alike
School shooter is a loner
Shootings are exclusively revenge motivated
Easy access to weapons is most significant risk factor
Unusual or aberrant behaviors, interests or hobbies
are hallmarks of students destined to become
shooters
Gang Violence
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Street gangs acquire their power in the
community through violent behaviors
The 2000 National Youth Gang Survey
reported 24,500 gangs with about
772,500 members active in 3,330
jurisdictions
Number of gangs have been decreasing,
except for female gangs
Definitions: Ongoing group of people that
have a common name or identifying sign
or symbol, form of alliance for a purpose
to engage in illegal activity
Gang Violence
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Street gangs engage in criminal activity either
individually or as a group
Youth gang is a sub-set of a gang
Commit a full range of street crimes ranging from
property to violent crimes
Reasons for gang membership include
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Need for security,
Love, friendship
Acceptance food
Shelter. Discipline
Belonging status
Respect
Identification
Power
Money
Gang Violence
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Scavenger gangs
No common bond beyond impulsive behavior
 Leadership changes frequently
 Prey on weak inner city
 Crimes tend to petty, senseless and
spontaneously
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Organized/Corporate Gangs
Strong leaders or managers
 Discipline akin to fortune 500 Corporations
 Crimes tend to highly organized; racketeering,
drug trafficking
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Gang Violence
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Hedonistic gangs
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Instrumental gang
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Commits more violent crimes against persons
including robberies and muggings.
Likely to use crack-cocaine
Gang Recruitment
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Focus on making money, property crimes, uses
violence for material gain
Predatory Gang
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Focus on having a good time
Ceremony: jumping in, turning or courting
Gang Organizational Chart; Page 199
Gang Violence
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Myths About Gangs
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Myth: Majority of street gang members are juveniles
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Myth: ALL street gangs are turf oriented
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Fact: Most gangs are loosely knit groups and likely to have several leaders
Myth: One way to cure gang membership is to by locking them up.
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Fact: Uzis, AK47’s and semiautomatic weapons are the weapons of choice
for most gang members
Myth: ALL gang have one leader and are tightly knit
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Fact: Only some claim specific territory, while others operate in multiple
locations.
Myth: Gang weapons usually consist of chains, knives and tire irons.
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Fact: Most juvenile gang members make-up for a small minority of
membership.
Fact: Incarceration and rehabilitation of hard-core gang members has not
proven to be effective. Prisons seem to be higher-learning for on going
gang related crimes.
Myth: Gangs are a law enforcement problem.
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Fact: Gangs are a problem for everyone
Public Health Model & the Juvenile
Justice Perspective
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Juvenile violence is seen as a public health issue
The Contagion Metaphor of the Public Health
model sees violence as a disease that spreads
rapidly in hot-spots. Youths are victims of social
forces and therefore should be treated
The Juvenile Justice Model sees violence as the
result of the youth’s free choice and should be
punished like a criminal