This is particularly true for young people, who are more likely than adults to commit crimes in a group
Peer pressure is one of the leading causes of juvenile delinquency. Youth feel safer in numbers and are more likely to make dumb decisions with friends, especially if those friends are poor influences.
In 1998, only 4 percent of juvenile arrests were for index violent crimes and less than one-tenth of one percent of their arrests were for homicide. Even in 1993, at the height of the violent crime wave that began in the mid to late 1980s, only about 6 percent of all juvenile arrests were for violent crimes and about two-tenths of one percent were for homicide. Young people are much more likely to be arrested for property crimes than for violent crimes.
This proves my point once more. Very few adolescent crimes committed are violent. For those violent crimes, more severe punishment may be needed, but for the majority of crimes committed, we should be focusing our efforts on rehabilitation, not incarceration.
Indeed, it appears that there was a significant upswing in violence among juveniles and adults.
Why was there a sudden upswing? Necessity? Peer pressure? If we could understand why there are upswings in crime, we may be able to prevent them (especially in youth) in the future.
40.9 percent of male and 35.5 percent of female high school seniors reported having used marijuana in the past year. Past-year cocaine use was reported by 6.6 and 4.2 percent of 12th grade males and females, respectively
We now also have vaping and other forms of drugs that seem to be specifically marketed toward younger generations. For example, vapes are colorful and have childish flavors such as RazzleBerry or Cotton Candy. Marijuana and other drugs can come in forms such as gummies now too, which appeals more to youth than adults.
The emphasis on curfews as a way to curb juvenile crime could explain the sudden increase in curfew violation arrests beginning around 1993.
Many youth see curfews as a recommendation, not a rule. In fact, most youth of today don't even know they can be arrested for curfew.
Self-reports of violent behavior by juveniles produce even higher rates of offending,
Many youth offenders often regret their actions, and by self-reporting they're proving just that.
The percentage of adoles- Page 45 Share Cite Suggested Citation:"Patterns and Trends in Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice." National Research Council and Institute of Medicine. 2001. Juvenile Crime, Juvenile Justice. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/9747. × Save Cancel cent suicides committed by guns also began increasing in the late 1980s (Blumstein and Cork, 1996). Ethnographic reports also indicate that gun possession by young people has increased, but there is little information about how those guns were obtained (Fagan and Wilkinson, 1998).
Now I know there's a right to bear arms and everything, but I also believe in keeping people safe. By not regulating guns as well as we should, we are providing easy access for young kids. This increases the likelihood of suicide, harm to themselves or others, and even homicide. We should also be providing more mental health rehabilitation or at least awareness.
None of these predictions was borne out—the juvenile population did not behave as expected in the projections.
It's important to remember that we aren't just statistics. Behind each crime and case is a real human being.
Official data are insufficient for studies to determine whether changing arrest rates are related to changes in police policies and practices or to changes in juvenile behavior.
And if a youth gets away with something once, they are much more likely to try it again.