NCJ Number
238240
Date Published
2008
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, presents information on challenges faced by adolescent males.
Abstract
Highlights from this fact sheet regarding boys and juvenile delinquency include the following: boys represented more than 70 percent of all juvenile arrests in 2006; in 2002, African-American boys accounted for 30 percent of the juvenile delinquency caseload, yet they made up only 16 percent of the juvenile population; in 2003, 85 percent of juvenile offenders in custody in residential treatment were boys; and in 2004, almost 75 percent of adolescents prosecuted in juvenile courts were boys. Data on the involvement of boys in violent crimes, property crimes, and status offenses are also included in the fact sheet, indicating that a majority of juvenile under age 18 arrested for these crimes are boys. The fact sheet also presents an overview of factors that can increase or decrease boys' risk of juvenile delinquency. Factors that increase the risk for juvenile delinquency include individual factors such as early aggressive behavior, substance abuse, and association with antisocial peers; and family factors such as parental criminality and dysfunctional parenting. Factors that decrease the risk include positive attachment to family or family support, high academic achievement, and low neighborhood crime rates. The fact sheet notes that while improvements have been made in decreasing the arrest rates for boys, juvenile males still account for the majority of arrests in the juvenile justice system and that continued improvements need to be made in this area. 1 figure and 36 references