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Juvenile Crime & Gangs It is generally believed that police are more l

It is generally believed that police are more likely to treat minority juveniles more harshly than whites. This suggests police may be influenced by race in their decision-making. There is also evidence to suggest minority juveniles commit more serious delinquency more frequently than white juveniles and have more negative attitudes toward the police.

A 1995 survey by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) reported a total of 23,388 gangs and 664,906 gang members in the United States. Forty nine percent of the law enforcement agencies reporting gang activity reported that the gang problem was "getting worse," while only ten percent reported that the problem was improving. Around the country, there is an increased awareness of the worsening of the juvenile crime problem, especially in the area of juvenile gangs (Lahey, et al, 1999, 261).

According to a National Youth Gang Center (NYGC) 1995 Survey, all 50 states reported the existence of youth gangs, with most large cities reporting a gang presence. On the national level there has been a push to effectively handle the problem with the introduction of legislation such as the "Anti-Gang and Youth Violence Control Act of 1996." More recently, the President and the Congress have struggled with the passage of a Juvenile Justice bill, which effects both deterrence and punishment for the juvenile offender (Riley, 1997, 133).

Prevailing attitudes about the problem of juvenile crime and the necessary steps to combat the problem are evidenced in the push to include provisions which encourage prevention and attempt to increase the punishments for juvenile offenders.

This increase in gangs has affected the juvenile system, both in its changing attitudes towards juvenile offenders and in its strengthened attempts to control the juvenile gang problem. This mind set is summed up in the words of San Diego Prosecutor Deborah Einhorn: "Being in a gang is n...

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Juvenile Crime & Gangs It is generally believed that police are more l. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 07:42, March 29, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1703215.html