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| Regional Study Projects Rise in Juvenile Violence |
| By The Winchester Star |
| Published: 12/01/2003 |
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Juvenile misbehaviors are increasingly dangerous and violent, a study completed by a professor at Shenandoah University in Virginia has found. The study, the first part in a two-phase needs assessment for the Northwestern Juvenile Detention Center, examined population growth, school dropout and disciplinary numbers, and intake complaints - crimes committed by juveniles. SU social services professor Kim Fendley completed the study to help the Juvenile Detention Center's administration predict future populations to come up with a preliminary budget. "All this data was collected so Bob (Robert Hurt, Juvenile Detention Center superintendent) and I could do an informed job of estimating changes in his center," Fendley said. The center houses juveniles from six Virginia jurisdictions: Winchester and Frederick, Clarke, Page, Warren, and Shenandoah counties. Fendley gathered demographic statistics, education data, and discipline records for each jurisdiction. Frederick County and Winchester had the highest increases in juvenile behavior complaints - 28 percent and 37.5 percent, respectively. Fendley found that the area "is growing rapidly, 62 percent," between 2000 and 2003, and called that estimate "low." "Frederick County and Winchester account for 50 percent of the new (residential building) permits over the three years," her study states. Because previous studies have found that children who drop out of school are more likely to commit criminal acts, Fendley also gathered information about education in the 26th Judicial District. She found that Virginia drop-out rates have decreased from 1999 to 2002, but increased in Winchester and Page County. Clarke County's drop-out rate also increased, but remained significantly lower than the state average. Fendley examined school behavior problems and found that fighting is the second most frequent offense in Winchester and Frederick, Page, and Warren counties. The second most frequent offense in Clarke and Shenandoah counties is threatening a staff member or student. After compiling the information, Fendley used a database created by the Urban Institute, a non-partisan policy research center based in Washington, D.C. Fendley fed the data into the center's database, which is called the Juvenile Forecaster, and came up with three possible estimates for future Juvenile Detention Center populations. At the high end, her report states, the center's population could increase by 20 percent, which the study calls "justified" because of "population growth and trends in more violent forms of juvenile acts." Hurt said the findings will help him project any needed expansions. |
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