proper responses to that problem are hotly debated. Many analyses focus on black youth, on whom the general future of the African-American community depends, but whose individual futures are at risk for a variety of reasons.
While the population of the United States is only 13% African-American, it is estimated that 53% of youths punished for juvenile offenses in the U.S. are black (Leunes, 1996, p. 699). Race, then, has been found to be a significant predictor of juvenile criminal behavior. However, race is believed to be confounded with socio economic status and urban environment (Bryant, et al, 1995, p. 77). Researchers have also determined that other characteristics are associated with a continuity of antisocial behavior: early age of onset, frequency of behaviors, variety of behaviors, and variety of settings in which they occur are all indicators that service agencies could potentially use to screen at a relatively early age for potentially persistent delinquency (Bryant, et al, 1995, p. 77).
Chavaria (1997) documented that disruptive and antisocial tendencies are most malleable at early ages, becoming more intractable by early adolescence. Winters (1997) found that learning disabilities and poor educational performance were strong predictors of juvenile delinquency. The U.S. Congress Office of Technology Assessment conducted a comprehensive review of factors associated with delinquency, as part of a report on adolescent health. This review reported that demographic factors associated with increased rates of delinquency included gender (male), increasing age (up to between 15 and 17 years), and race (African American). Adolescents with low IQ or learning disabilities have higher rates of delinquency (summarized in Bryant, et al, pp. 77-8). Scherer, et al (1994) investigated a variety of family factors in relation to delinquency, including lack of parental supervision and involvement, parental rejection, poor discip...