A Statistical View of the Juvenile Justice System
A STATISTICAL VIEW OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM Najja A. Wells California State University, Dominguez Hills
Author Note Najja A. Wells, Department of Public Administration, California State University Dominguez Hills Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Najja A. Wells, Department of Public Administration, California State University, Dominguez Hills 1000 E. Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747 (310)243-3696 Email: nwells7@toromail.csudh.edu Policy/Issue America 's youth are faced with an ever-changing set of problems and barriers to successful lives. As a result, we are constantly met with the task of developing enlightened policies and programs to address the needs and risks of those youth that enter our juvenile justice system. The policies we create must be based on facts, not fears or negative assumptions. This document will take a look at the current and former statistics of the juvenile justice system in California and the nation in the years ranging from 1995 until present time. Statistics gathered from an array of sources provide insight of the issues of the juvenile system including disparities in racial representation, trends in criminal behavior of juvenile offenders, methods of entrance into the system, gender and age variations in crimes committed, as well as statistics on the demographic, sociological, and economic factors that are indirectly or directly related to juvenile victimization and crime. Together, these statistics dispel common perceptions of the increase in the rate and proportion of young juveniles entering the system, and provide an informed view of the actualities of the juvenile crime rate and juvenile justice system. Background
Author Note Najja A. Wells, Department of Public Administration, California State University Dominguez Hills Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Najja A. Wells, Department of Public Administration, California State University, Dominguez Hills 1000 E. Victoria Street, Carson, CA 90747 (310)243-3696 Email: nwells7@toromail.csudh.edu Policy/Issue America 's youth are faced with an ever-changing set of problems and barriers to successful lives. As a result, we are constantly met with the task of developing enlightened policies and programs to address the needs and risks of those youth that enter our juvenile justice system. The policies we create must be based on facts, not fears or negative assumptions. This document will take a look at the current and former statistics of the juvenile justice system in California and the nation in the years ranging from 1995 until present time. Statistics gathered from an array of sources provide insight of the issues of the juvenile system including disparities in racial representation, trends in criminal behavior of juvenile offenders, methods of entrance into the system, gender and age variations in crimes committed, as well as statistics on the demographic, sociological, and economic factors that are indirectly or directly related to juvenile victimization and crime. Together, these statistics dispel common perceptions of the increase in the rate and proportion of young juveniles entering the system, and provide an informed view of the actualities of the juvenile crime rate and juvenile justice system. Background
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