Juvenile Justice. CJ 3650 Professor James J. Drylie Week 15

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1 Juvenile Justice CJ 3650 Professor James J. Drylie Week 15

2 Special Populations Kids will be kids. When does problem behavior separate kids from just being kids? The uniqueness of juveniles within the general population present two equally important, but separate issues: Victimization Exploitation

3 Violence School violence has rapidly come to the forefront in the past decade. School shootings and other acts of school- related violence have shocked the conscious of the American psyche. The last bastion of safety the school- has been violated Between there were close to 4000 students expelled for bringing a firearm to school.

4 Mentally Ill Juveniles It is estimated that 20% of all youth in the juvenile justice system have serious mental disorders. These range from serious psychiatric disorders to less-serious serious problems. Psychotic disorders Schizophrenia Poor self-esteem esteem Depression Anxiety Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

5 The most prevalent disorders appear to be Conduct disorder Antisocial personality Substance abuse

6 Drug Use Any link of drug use and delinquency is not new. Today, juveniles may be taking drugs at much younger ages than previously identified. Previous research on drug use focused primarily on heroin and adult criminality. Today, research is looking deeper into the myriad choices of illicit drugs juveniles have, and what link use has to delinquency. Drug use and delinquency are not causally related. Drug use does not cause crime. However, drug use can and often does lead to criminal behavior.

7 Juvenile Sex Offenders In the past, sexual misconduct by juveniles was often attributable to experimentation and curiosity. Sexual offending by juveniles is thought to be a much larger problem than is evident by statistics. It is estimated that over half of all incidents of child molestation and one-fifth of known forcible rape are committed by male juveniles.

8 Paraphilia A chronic interest in sexually aggressive and/or deviant fantasy. Paraphilia,, or sexual compulsions, are linked to continued violence and aggression during adulthood. A mental disorder, this illness involves recurring and intense arousal fantasies, sexual urges, and behaviors that involve objects, suffering, or humiliation either on themselves, their sexual partners, animals, or children.

9 Other characteristics Most juvenile sex offenders are male. Estimated that 16% of forcible rapes are committed by juvenile males. Evidence suggests that adult sexual offending is rooted in juvenile sexual misconduct. Some factors identified as contributory: Drug- and fetal-alcohol alcohol syndrome Family dysfunction Childhood physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse

10 Chronic offenders Marvin Wolfgang conducted the Delinquency in a Birth Cohort study of over 9,000 boys, ages 11-18, 18, born in Philadelphia in the post-wwii era. The study found that 1/3 of the group had some involvement with police. 2/3 s s had no involvement. 54% of the 1/3 were recidivists. 6% of this group were chronic offenders, with at least 4 contacts with the police.

11 Most chronic offenders are male. Poor school performance is the one factor that may help identify potential offending. Related to poor school performance Low IQ Low educational achievement History of family problems Often involving some form of physical or sexual abuse.

12 Violent Offenders Most are male and from a racial minority. Forty eight percent of juveniles arrested for murder in 2003 were African American. Arrests of males for simple assault has dropped, but arrests for females in this area has risen 17 %. Violent offenders tend to have histories of substance abuse and mental health problems. These offenders may be getting younger.

13 Hate Crime The number of youths involved in hate crime has shown disturbing upward trends. Hate groups fall into three general categories: Traditional Christian Identity Survivalist and militia groups Membership in these groups is viewed analogous to joining a gang.

14 Victimization and Exploitation This is a global problem. The advancements of technology and the internet have propelled these issues light years ahead of where they were in the later twentieth century. Juveniles account for 12% of all crime victims known to the police. Simple assault is the most commonly reported crime against juveniles (41%) Females predominate sexual victimization.

15 Adult offenders account for 55% of juvenile victimizations. Family members make up the majority of offenders against under-age children.

16 Abuse and Neglect Neglect is a legal term that defines the criminal abandonment of a child by a family, member, parent, or guardian who does not provide adequate supervision, a safe and secure environment, and boundary setting for a child. Disorganization is a common trait found in neglected children s s homes. Physical abuse is the second most common occurrence against juveniles.

17 Common contributors that increase the risk of children s s victimization include Parental substance abuse Economic stress Lack of parenting skills Fragmented family. Children in alcohol-abusing abusing families are 4 times more likely to be abused and neglected. Another form of child abuse is sexual. Young juveniles, under 12, are more likely to be victimized by offenders under 18.