Citation

Zimring FE. Crime Justice 1979; 1: 67-107.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1979, University of Chicago Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Census and arrest data suggest that all forms of violent youth crime increased more than the youth population during the 1960s. Since 1970, however, per capita rates of youth homicide and rape have been stable as measured by arrest trends. Robbery by young offenders in 1977 was close to the per capita rate in 1970. Only the heterogeneous crime of aggravated assault has increased significantly through the 1970s, and this increase may be a result of different patterns of police classification and reporting. Recent studies of youth crime have produced insufficient information on the concentration, predictability, and responsiveness to sanctions of youth violence. The data collected to date are far more ambiguous than has been acknowledged in the current debates about "cracking down" on youth violence or identifying and isolating "hard core" or career adolescent offenders.

Language: en