Over many years of working in juvenile justice, I found that people outside the system (and some inside as well who would express dire predictions like “..watch out, this summer will be really bad”) assumed that summer would be a high time for juvenile arrests and detentions. Yet our own internal data as well as anecdotal information from colleagues invariably confirmed that this was not the case. This must have been an issue in D.C., since the DC Lawyers for Youth recently released a study of arrests over the past four years that shows that, contrary to popular opinion, juvenile arrests do not spike upward in the summer months – confirming what many practitioners already knew – but, hey they have charts and tables!!
It’s interesting data, but think about it. Why do people assume that since kids have more time on their hands during the summer they will get in more trouble? And, since that is not the case, why not? Is it because much the bulk of delinquent behavior is done in groups and it is, in fact, going to school that brings them together? Is it because they are under less pressure when not in school? Is it because too many of our law enforcement referrals stem from incidents that start or take place in schools? Is it because youth in the summer have other outlets for their energy? I’m not sure I have the answers, but if anything the data and our experience shows that what might seem “simple” or intuitive to those who don’t work with youth, we know is not that simple – that really understanding youth behaviors takes more than believing that “I can think like a teenager because I was one once.” submitted by Jim Moeser
