Chapter One

C. Draven Godwin Jeffrey L. Helms

As members of American society, it is difficult for us to avoid headlines such as "Violent kids can't be reformed," "Taming teenage wolf packs," and "Kids who are still killers." Found in widely read news sources such as the Washington Post, USA Today, and US News & World Report, such headlines influence the perception of the general U.S. public about juvenile crime, lead people to demand an immediate response to the fears they now feel, and thus support the development of laws that overlook the tedious task of preventing youth crime and rehabilitating youthful offenders.

This chapter is intended to provide the facts about youth crime trends, based on national data, examples of state initiatives, and a glimpse into the legal and policy issues that affect juveniles processed through the juvenile justice system. This information is extremely important to all mental health professionals working with children. Our perceptions are influenced by the information we see, hear, and read in the media around us. We know that the translation of our perceptions will affect the way we view and treat our clients and the way they, in turn, respond to us. Although statistics may seem boring and perhaps initially unrelated to clinical work, knowing these facts may restore your faith in young people and also provide you with the information you need to dispel others' belief in the popular myth that youthful offenders have become "sup