Prevention of Juvenile Violence

The theme of this paper is the prevention of juvenile violence through pro-active responses based on modern biological and neurological knowledge, rather than after-the-fact legal responses based on a doctrine of free will, moral responsibility, and revenge and punishment. Prevention programs are of two types: interdisciplinary and social-developmental. Interdisciplinary approaches are based on biology, psychology, sociology, law, and urban planning and focus on the 5-7% of the delinquent cohort population who go on to serious violent careers and the 3-5% of the urban areas with high crime rates. Individual differences are as crucial as environmental differences, since the emerging model is one of individuals interacting with the environment. Hence, urban planning and the new ecology are to be utilized in crime prevention. The social-developmental model is based on the manipulation of such social variables as family, school, neighborhood, and peer groups. However, the research indicates that such interventions are effective for no more than 2-3 years and that the 5% headed for serious offenses are not identified by concentrating solely on environmental variables. Finally, the judicial-legal approach to violence is discussed, with a focus on Supreme Court decisions in which, because of a 5-4 split, one justice determines major policy issues. On the basis of very conservative appointments, the Supreme Court has supported the death penalty.