Juvenile Crime

Juvenile crime is crime committed by children under the age of 18. It is usually committed by teenagers and is a term that refers to many types of misconduct forbidden by law. A serious juvenile offender is often defined as one whose offense history includes arrests for five or more serious offenses or one who commits one or more offenses whose severity is equal to homicide Juvenile crime has increased during the past 30 years because children …

…in the population - and especially the number of minority juveniles - is now increasing faster than the general population, according to census reports. Juvenile crime will be getting worse in the coming years as the youth population grows, unless we prevent it and effectively intervene when it occurs. In response to the problem, there is activity taking place across the country. State legislators have increased the severity of punishments for violent or habitual offenders.