Kids Who Kill

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Abstract
Juvenile homicide has increased markedly in recent years. This study focuses on thirty-one juveniles charged with homicide or attempted homicide over an eighteen-month period in Alameda County, California, and the circumstances of their offenses. About one-third of the homicides occurred during the commission of a robbery. In about one-fourth of the homicides, the assailant was intoxi cated. About two-thirds of the assailants were carrying the weapon used, suggesting that predisposition to kill or injure may be present without necessary premeditation. Almost all the assailants were males, and half were sixteen or younger. Two-thirds had prior correctional involvement; the others had never demonstrated antisocial behavior. Some youngsters were anxious or depressed, some were social isolates and overly controlled, and some were hostile and explosive; others seemed quite healthy and well adjusted. In general, this group of juveniles would not be seen as more disturbed than any other delinquent sample. The families of the assailants were characterized as violent and chaotic, and many of the parents had histories of crime, alcohol abuse, and violence. Only one-third of the youngsters had apparently adequate maternal and paternal figures in the home at the time of the homicide. These youngsters seem to have been deprived of models for controlling impulses, and their family experience had not generated compelling hopes and goals. In the absence of internal restraints and goals, juvenilfs can be profoundly influenced by popular media, which teach that life must be exciting to be worthwhile. Violence is a cheap form of excitement, and excitement is a cheap form of gratification. For these youngsters, the adults in their families and the adults in popular entertainment usually chose violence over long-term gratification. So did they.

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