|
Child
Delinquency: Early Intervention and Prevention
A Bulletin from The Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
For more articles like this
visit
https://www.bridges4kids.org.
Juvenile courts are being challenged by an increase in the
number of child delinquents coming before them. In 1997 alone,
juvenile courts handled more than 180,000 juvenile offenders
younger than 13 years old. These child delinquents account for 1
in 3 juvenile arrests for arson, 1 in 5 juvenile arrests for sex
offenses, and 1 in 12 juvenile arrests for violent crime.
Because youth referred to juvenile court before the age of 13
are far more likely to become chronic juvenile offenders than
youth whose initial contact occurs at a later age, there is
reason for concern about the growing number of child
delinquents.
This Bulletin summarizes the final report of OJJDP's Study Group
on Very Young Offenders, "Child Delinquency: Development,
Intervention, and Service Needs." The report draws on hundreds
of studies to describe the developmental course of child
delinquency and delineate key risk and protective factors. It
also identifies effective and promising prevention and
intervention programs that help reduce the incidence of
delinquency while offering significant cost savings to society.
Resources:
A limited number of printed copies are available from the
Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse (JJC). Copies can be ordered by calling JJC at
800-638-8736. For full-text publications, information on OJJDP,
JJC, and other juvenile justice matters, visit the OJJDP Web
site at
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp/.
|
