Juvenile Crime (library In A Book)

LIBRARY IN A BOOK JUVENILE CRIME Jeffrey Ferro JUVENILE CRIME Copyright © 2003 by Jeffrey Ferro All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher. For information contact: Facts On File, Inc. 132 West 31st Street New York NY 10001 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ferro, Jeffrey. Juvenile crime / by Jeffrey Ferro. p. cm.—(Library in a book) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8160-5055-4 (perm. paper) 1. Juvenile delinquency—United States. 2. Juvenile delinquents— United States. I. Title. II. Series. HV9104. F448 2003 364.36′0973—dc21 2002155861 Facts On File books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk quantities for businesses, associations, institutions, or sales promotions. Please call our Special Sales Department in New York at (212) 967-8800 or (800) 322-8755. You can find Facts On File on the World Wide Web at http://www.factsonfile.com Printed in the United States of America MP Hermitage 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This book is printed on acid-free paper. CONTENTS PART I OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC Chapter 1 Introduction to Juvenile Crime 3 Chapter 2 The Law of Juvenile Justice 43 Chapter 3 The Juvenile Justice System 79 Chapter 4 Chronology 100 Chapter 5 Biographical Listing 112 Chapter 6 Glossary 122 PART II GUIDE TO FURTHER RESEARCH Chapter 7 How to Research Juvenile Crime and Juvenile Justice Issues 139 Chapter 8 Annotated Bibliography 155 Chapter 9 Organizations and Agencies 214 PART III APPENDICES Appendix A Juvenile Crime Statistics Appendix B In re Gault et al. 260 Index 300 231 PART I OVERVIEW OF THE TOPIC CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION TO JUVENILE CRIME “Our youth love luxury. They have bad manners and contempt for authority. Children are now tyrants. . . .” Those statements might be considered relevant to American youth of today, particularly juvenile offenders. In fact, the words were spoken some 2,500 years ago by the Greek philosopher Socrates. More recently, the New York Times observed that “the number of boy burglars, boy robbers and boy murderers is so astoundingly large as to alarm all good men.” That was 140 years ago. Back then, recordkeeping was not what it is today, making it difficult to quantify the prevalence of juvenile crime in American society. Nonetheless, it is safe to say that juvenile crime and delinquency have been a part of society for many, many years. In the early 19th century in the United States, the law viewed juvenile offenders in much the same way as adults. For example, in Illinois in 1827, the legal age of criminal responsibility was 10. Given the recent example of Lionel Tate, sentenced in 2001 to life without parole for a murder he committed when he was 12 years old, it may appear to some that society has come full circle in terms of how the justice system deals with juvenile offenders, particularly the most violent. Historically, local police have had wide discretion in the handling of juvenile offenders. For example, in Detroit, Michigan, at the beginning of the 20th century, police conducted roundups of boys for petty offenses. These roundups served as warnings not to engage in future criminal behavior. However, the juveniles were usually handled informally and were rarely referred to court. Twenty-five years later, that began to change. Youthful offenders were increasingly arrested for serious crimes. In Los Angeles, California, during the 1930s, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) began to place greater emphasis on arresting juveniles for felonies than for 3 Juvenile Crime less