Profile of incarcerated juveniles: comparison of male and female offenders.

Effective methods of identifying potential juvenile offenders are critical when developing prevention programs within both state and national juvenile justice systems. The characteristics of juvenile offenders in a large juvenile justice system are examined in this study. Participants live in a Midwestern city with a high rate of crime as indicated by federal standards. Both male and female subjects were currently incarcerated (N = 363). The article highlights a basic psychological and behavioral profile of these juveniles in an effort to determine characteristics that might identify future juvenile offenders. The authors believe that if future offenders can be identified, both school systems and community agencies may be better able to intervene in the cycle of juvenile crime and violence.