Ninety Percent of Youths in Juvenile Justice System Were Previously Exposed to Violence

Date:  03-31-2016 Community-based behavioral treatment shown to yield better results than incarceration

From Juvenile Justice Information Exchange Research over the past several decades has established that youth exposure to violence is a widespread and significant problem. This is particularly true for youth involved in the juvenile justice system, as research has shown that up to 90 percent of these youth have histories of violence exposure, with many reporting multiple serious incidents. Violence exposure as either victims or witnesses often lead to developing symptoms of trauma as a result. Given that the vast majority of juvenile justice-involved youth are likely to have extensive histories of violence exposure, it is safe to say that trauma is a critical issue facing this population. Read the complete article here.