Perspectives on Juvenile Offenders

Administering justice to juvenile offenders has largely been the domain of the states, and as a result of this the laws that pertain to juvenile offenders can vary widely from state to state. This book analyses the current federal legislation that impacts the state juvenile justice systems. It also provides an overview of research on the deterrent effects of transferring youth from juvenile to criminal courts. In addition, this book examines juvenile suicides that occurred in confinement. It describes the demographic characteristics and social history of victims and examines the characteristics of the facilities in which the suicides took place. Drawing on this data, the researchers offer recommendations to prevent suicides in juvenile facilities. Moreover, this book analyses the prevalence and overlap of substance-related behaviours among youth, with comparisons by age group, gender and race/ethnicity. The analysis shows that a youth who engages in one substance-related behaviour is much more likely to engage in another. This book presents information that can help the juvenile justice system detect youth with psychiatric disorders and respond with an integrated system of services. This book consists of public documents which have been located, gathered, combined, reformatted, and enhanced with a subject index, selectively edited and bound to provide easy access.