The act of murder is shocking, and when kids are the killers, we are especially concerned. Children are not supposed to be so wanton, so tainted, so frightening. There is a common belief in the innocence of the young, a hope for their future against which the sobering episodes of violent behavior raise profound questions for society.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately 10 percent of the murders that occurred in the United States in 2006 were committed by juvenile offenders. The Department of Justice also reports that the older the juvenile, the more likely he/she is to commit a violent crime; juveniles aged 16-17 are most likely to commit a violent crime. While the number of male juvenile violent offenders continues to outnumber that of female juvenile offenders, the number of female juvenile offenders is on the rise.
From the mid-1980s to the peak in 1993, the juvenile arrest rate for murder more than doubled. Then, the juvenile arrest rate for murder declined through the mid-2000s, reaching a level in 2004 that was 77% less than the 1993 peak. The growth in the juvenile murder arrest rate that began in 2004 was interrupted in 2008 as the rate fell 6% over the year, resting at a level 74% below its 1993 peak.
However, such statistics do not tell us the "why" of homicides. Although most people have murderous thoughts, very few of us act on them. We do not know exactly what causes one person to take the life of another, but we do recognize varying patterns of homicide. Perhaps the most prevalent contemporary pattern is gang-related murder. Some of these acts seem to be violence for the sake of violence; others are associated with turf, the drug trade, exaggerated "macho" exploits and initiation rites.
Unfortunately, kids kill for other reasons too. For example, juvenile murders often are planned acts committed in conjunction with other criminal offenses. Kids also are involved in interpersonal conflicts, many of which result in the murder of a friend, acquaintance or family member. Other juvenile murder patterns include psychotic, sex-related and "senseless."
Exactly what to do with these young murderers is a matter of opinion, and only time will tell if the rate of juvenile murder will continue to rise so dramatically. However, two things are certain: 1) the increasing frequency of juvenile murder reflects alarming changes in the attitudes and behaviors of the youth population, and 2) it seems likely that murder by kids will go down only as lesser acts of violence come under control.
