1. The Young and the Ruthless
Higgins O’Brien
Spring 2012

2. An “Epidemic” of Youth Homicide
Homicide offenders ages 25+ have experienced a slow decline in crime rates since the 1980's.
However, teenage offenders had a sharp increase in offending rates. Which peaked in the 90's.
Youth homicide could be due to
-Crack cocaine epidemic
-Access to firearms
-Increase in gang activity

3. Street Gangs
Defining a gang is difficult, but the National Youth Gang Center estimates that the U.S. has
27,300 youth gangs
With 788,000 members
Crimes ranging from petty theft and vandalism to serious offenses like rape and murder
Gangs are primary distributors of illegal drugs

4. Street Gangs continued
Gangs provide an alternative socializing mechanism
Children feel special, find a family
Source of excitement and ability to make money
Gangs are always recruiting
Subculture of violence can easily influence youth, who are more willing to commit crime in a mob mentality
*In violent crime as a whole, youth homicide is still very rare

5. Explaining the 1990's Decline
Crack markets began to disappear
Police intervention increased in quality and quantity
Schools offered better supervision, guidance, and control
Increase in prison population
Other proposed theories..
Advances in the medical field have reduced fatalities
Legalized abortion from Roe v. Wade
*The children who were aborted when this decision was made, would have been teenagers in the 90's

6. Principles of Prevention
1. No program is successful all the time or for all individuals 2. Prevention should have an emphasis on the “Pre” 3. Patience is more than a virtue, it is a requirement 4. Prevention should take a multifaceted approach 5. Prevention is significantly cost-effective

7. Dial M for Media
Less parental supervision has led to an increase of learning from the mass media
This can desensitize and influence individuals to violence, but it's impact on crime is debated
It would be unethical to do an experiment to test this theory

8. Justice for Juveniles
Under English common law, youth offenders were tried as adults
Juvenile courts were formed in the early 1900's
For serious crimes like murder, individuals under 18 can still be tried as adults
Law varies state by state, but very young are rarely charged with a crime, 18+ are adults, and in between that is a gray area

9. Looking Ahead
The public continues to be very concerned with youth violence, but its views are often misguided
The risks and strain youth encounter in minority communities are a much bigger problem than explicit music or television
It is better to focus on teaching good morals and practices now, than it is to rehabilitate offenders in the future