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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of this report by Schmideberg was to examine the phenomenon of juvenile murders, its causes and society's responses to it.
METHODOLOGY:
The author employed a non-experimental exploratory design to investigate the issues surrounding juvenile fatal violence.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author began with the contention that the humane treatment of young violent offenders, with an empathy for the offender and a neglect of the victim, has led to some youth taking their offenses too lightly. In today's child-dominated society, the breakdown of family structure and parental authority has led to some juvenile offenders using the system to their advantage, in that they know that they will be treated as juveniles, and therefore punishment will not be severe. The author believed that crimes could be conditioned by individual characteristics, by family situations and by social and cultural conditions. Punishment of those who are caught committing crimes was not seen as the most important method of crime prevention; rather, society's continual disapproval of steps that lead to crime, and its emphasis upon values and controls to prevent criminal behavior, were thought to be the most effective forms of crime prevention. The author claimed that violence on television is too realistic and has been shown to directly influence the commission of violent acts, and that there is a noticeable lack of constructive topics portrayed to offset the emphasis on violence. Also missing are portrayals of a conflict of conscience, so that conscience and morality must be learned and developed through personal example. In order to reduce society's resistance to crime, the author suggested that one effective method was truthful reporting of actual incidents that occur around the world. Another influence was thought to be the suggestive effect of the attitudes and behavior of everyday life, in that youth could respond to adult attitudes toward them by behaving well when expected to, and by acting violently when feared. Whilst most of the murders committed by juveniles less than 16 years of age are gang-related and generally are not premeditated, there are a number of incidents of a child's carefully planned murder of a family member. These are usually committed by children under 16, who later exhibit little remorse or emotion. Victims are primarily parents, and motive is based upon some trivial quarrel or punishment. The author concluded that juvenile murder constituted a serious problem for today's society, and that if such behavior is treated lightly, the notion of the sanctity of life, and our disapproval of crime, would greatly decrease. If murder could be reduced, other violent behavior would also be curtailed; to rationalize or excuse such behavior, however, acts only to encourage it.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author cited the need for future research to include follow-up studies of juvenile murderers in later life, after their release from mental institutions or correctional facilities, when they have returned to the community.
EVALUATION:
The author offers an interesting examination of the phenomenon of juvenile murders. However, an examination of statistical data would have given the author some additional insight into the problem, and would have provided an empirical foundation upon which to base a discussion of policy, treatment and prevention programs and planning. Such a discussion would have been a valuable addition to this paper, as would have a more thorough examination of both the causes of juvenile fatal violence as well as judicial responses to this phenomenon. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Homicide Causes
KW - Homicide Offender
KW - Juvenile Offender
KW - Juvenile Homicide
KW - Juvenile Violence
KW - Violence Causes
KW - Sociocultural Factors
KW - Parenting Skills
KW - Family Structure
KW - Family Relations
KW - Television Violence
KW - Exposure to Violence
KW - Media Violence Effects |