Introduction There were 1.6 million youth crime cases which were reported in 2000 and it is less by 9 percentages when compared to the figures of 1996. More than one charge could be included in a particular case, i.e. when a youth is involved in more than one case, it will be counted as one case. There has been an increase of over 400 percent in robbery and property offenses since 1960. 48 percent of youth crime cases were referred to juvenile court by agencies for law enforcement. (Juvenile crime – The crimes-court statistics, 2009). How punishment for crimes was made Property crimes were followed by personal crimes, drug offenses, and offenses related to public order. Almost 66 percent of all youth were taken into custody for criminal activities by the law enforcement agencies in 2000 and 33 percent were handed over to the police department and later released. The remaining one percent was brought directly to criminal court. Property offenses scored about 41% of youth crimes in 2000 with the most frequently committed charge being larceny-theft, which constituted18.5% of all youth crime incidents handled in 2000. Around 23% of youth crimes are regarded as personal offenses. (Juvenile crime – The crimes-court statistics, 2009). Public order transgressions Crimes against public order which include conducting disorderly offenses related to weapons and violation of laws related to liquor constituted about 24 percent. 11.8 percent of total cases were in connection with violation of drug law and this shows a decline of 22 percent since 1996. At the same time, the number of youth crime cases leaped 43 percent from 1985 to 2000. The corresponding increase in offenses such as sex-related crimes except rape varies; violating weapon rules, liquor offenses, and other sex-related crimes vary. In 2000, the youth crime rate in juvenile court for drug offenses and public law offenses showed an increase with the age of the youth convict. At the same time, crime rates for property-related offenses peaked with the youth of 16 years of age. 17-year-old youth had a much larger increase in the rate of cases compared to younger ones. (Juvenile crime – The crimes-court statistics, 2009). Involvement of minorities The involvement of minority groups in criminal activities is remarkable. The African-American minority group is overrepresented in criminal activities. It is found that youth of color are holding a lion’s share in different crucial points in the criminal justice system. African-American youth are accounted for nearly 50 percent of the conviction for violence in 1992. In the detention centers, 43% of youth belonged to the above category and in them, 35% were of white race and19% were Hispanic people. (Disproportionate minority contact research index, n.d). It is found that ethnicity is a crucial determining factor influencing the decision-making process at various junctures in the criminal justice system including arrest, detention, and putting in training schools. In addition to this, the nature of the community in which a youth resides has a remarkable effect on his vulnerability of being a part of criminal activities. (Wilson, 1994). Conclusion In general, the causal factors responsible for the involvement of youth in crimes are found to be the follow