Crime is far too prevalent in all respects and thus is a serious concern. But juvenile crime is especially upsetting because it not only harms the victims, but it sets the youthful offenders’ lives on a bad course.
Any amount of crime is obviously “bad news,” but there is some “good news”: In Hamilton County, juvenile crime is in decline!
Criminal offenses by juveniles dropped 31 percent in the past five years, court authorities reported.
The local report, submitted to the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, says there were 3,989 juvenile crimes in Hamilton County in 2006 — but such offenses declined to 2,754 by 2010.
That’s still far too many, of course. Juvenile crime is plainly a serious problem when our young people have been involved in 2,754 violent and nonviolent violations of our laws.
But at least there’s movement in the right direction.