1969, chs. 1-4). Whatever the theory to which one subscribes, juvenile crime is on the increase, and the current juvenile justice system is unable to stop the rising tide.
The call to overhaul the juvenile justice system comes from small towns as well as large urban areas. Media reports of the escalating rates of crime and violence have inflamed public opinion. Meanwhile, politicians and law enforcement officials are doing whatever they can to protect the citizenry. Unfortunately, law enforcement cannot protect everyone. Despite all the theories, none of the approaches used in the juvenile justice system has met with any significant success. Discerning which youths will become repeat offenders and return to the life of crime and which will not is not possible. If the juvenile justice system were a business, it would be out of business. Public systems are designed to serve the public good and welfare. In its current form, the juvenile justice system is failing to protect the public. It is failing the children subjected to its processes as well as the citizenry.
In a recent article, Carmine Sarracino (1996) quoted FBI reports that "murders committed by adults rose 5.2 percent during the 1980s. In the same period, murders committed by juveniles increased 60 percent" (p. 28). Steve Forbes (1993) gives similar statistics. Between 1987 and 1991, according to the FBI, the number of youth under 18 arrested for violent crimes increased by 50 percent. Violent crimes are defined as murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault. Forbes projects the situation will get worse as the number of 10- to-17-year-olds increases significantly during the 1990s (Forbes, 1993, p. 26).
The media are powerful information vehicles. When violent crimes are reported on the television evening news with accompanying video tape of the crime scene and often a picture of the alleged criminal, public awareness is heightened.
Media...