JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND CRIME PREVENTION

Delinquent children are extraordinary children who display significant deviation in their social adjustment and are therefore labeled as socially deviant or socially impaired. They have been discovered to have criminal tendencies and to engage in antisocial behavior. In this regard, they are similar to criminals and antisocial elements. However, in legal parlance, they are referred to as delinquents rather than criminals. The enormous increase in juvenile violence, notably killings, which began in the mid-1980s and peaked in the early 1990s, sparked widespread fear and concern among the public, prompting federal, state, and municipal governments to implement policy adjustments. For example, in response to the rise in juvenile violence and predictions of a new wave of increasingly violent youth, most states tightened their juvenile justice laws, including measures that allow, or in many cases require, children to be transferred to the adult system at younger ages and for a wider range of offences. A considerable body of research has begun to identify characteristics that may raise the risk of adolescent crime. The research has also resulted in the development and evaluation of prevention interventions.