A Report on the Violent Youth Crime and the Juvenile Justice System in the United States of America

More violent crimes are being committed by young, poor and disadvantage teens. These teenagers have developed a very observed behavior toward the real world and resort to violence and killings to settle their faults. (Barrett 17) Gang violence and the availability of guns has caused a big increase of the young children who are injured or killed. These children suffer not only the trauma of the physical violence, but also continued psychological trauma that stops them from learning in school and being able to take on the stressful daily life. (Freed 23) All over the United States more teenagers are arming themselves using guns. Law enforcements and officials and social workers claim that, as this is going on, the number of adolescents killed by guns has reached epidemic proportions. (Tabor 31)

Violent youth crime in the U.S. has been exaggerated and inaccurately documented. The results as that a majority of juvenile delinquents sent to reform school have been mislabeled as violent offenders. Society has done very little to correct this mistake. (Miller 44) Political, the media and the government have misled the public by overstating the number of youth violence incidents. Youth violence exists, but it has not increased. (Schwartz 49) Youth violence is not a common occurrence. Each year over the past decade, fewer than 11 percent of all murders and manslaughters have been committed by youths under the age of eighteen. (Ewing 55)

No single person can be found for violence committed by youths combination of factors lead some youths to act violently, including child abuse; violence in the home, neighborhood, and the media; and easy access to guns. (Murphy 60) Senseless violence and murder committed by juveniles is escalating. The primary source youth violence is the breakdown of the tradition two-parent household. (Zinimeister 65) Studies of juvenile murders show that many of these youths are victims of child abuse. American child abuse epidemic promises to produce more juvenile killers. (Ewing 79) In order to reduce violence efforts must focus on prevention. Youths, parents, and society must work together and develop appropriate methods to end youth violence. (Henkoff 122) Breaking the cycle of juvenile delinquency starts of offering youths productive jobs that provide hope for improving their lives. Governor programs and private industries can help by subsidizing internships and apprentice!

ships that teach marketable skills. (Baker 140) The school is a microcosm of larger community, and if it is dangerous, the schools located within crime-infested area, police, educators, businesses, and parents needs to cooperate to eliminate crime in their streets and to create safe neighborhoods. (Menacker 159)

Many measures have been proposed to reduce drive-by shootings, drug dealings, and other criminal gang activities. Strategies to reduce the gang problem to community job program. (Curry 174) Police gang units should be consolidated under one command. This new organization would drastically reduce gang crimes and violence because police units could share more information on gang members and effectively weaken targeted gang. (Kensic 184) Prisons can use several suppression and intervention stratagies to reduce crime and violence by young gang inmates. The most successful strategies are those that establish positive relationship between community groups and gang members and those that productive education and job opportunities. (Regulus 189)

Americas lenient juvenile justice system sends youths the message that they will not be severely punishment for their crimes. Increases in youth violence demand that juveniles offenders receive more swift and punitive for their crime. Increases in youth violent demand that juvenile offenders receive more swift and punitive sentences. (Kramer 212) Hardened juvenile criminals are beyond rehabilitate ion under the current juvenile justice system. Government must treat these violent youths as adults and punish them accordingly. (Barr 216) Among the thirty-seven states with a death penalty, approximately half endorse capital punishment for punishment for persons under eighteen. Since many violent youths are tried as adults, a death sentence should be applied in some juveniles murder cases. (Cowan 226)

Prison and the use of fear to motivate juvenile offenders to conform creates a cycle of rime and reincarcenration instead, violent youths should be rehabilitated through a regimen of education, hard work, and discipline that focuses on individual youths problem. (Weaver 227) Many incarcerated juveniles are beaten of raped by other youths and adults. Juveniles should not be detained in such abusive environments. (Roberts 234) Executing adolescent murders is no solution to such violent crimes. The juvenile death penalty should be abolished, and those convicted should be sentenced to life in prison. (Sreib 243)

**Bibliography**

• Saving Our Kids from Delinquency, Drugs, and Despair. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.
• Kids Whom Kill. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1990.
• Last one over the Wall. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1991.
• Justice for Juveniles. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1989 
• Punishing the Young: Juvenile Justice in the 1990s, America, February 29, 1992
• Teen-Age Murders: Plentiful Guns, Easy Power, The New York Times, May 24, 1997.

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