Follow-up care and evaluative services to ensure that the child's and family's needs were adequately determined and fulfilled. Treating all firesetters in the same manner. Treating the child and not the family. Ignoring the problem. According to the Department of Justice, of all major felony crimes, arson has the highest degree of juvenile involvement.
Fires set by juveniles are the leading cause of fire deaths in preschoolers.
Billions of dollars worth of property is damages each year in the United States as a result of juvenile set fires. What To Do If you discover burnt matches or papers, or have any other reason to suspect that your child is setting fires, you should take immediate action. First of all, put all matches and lighters out of reach and explain to your child why you are doing this. Teach your child why you don't want him to play with matches and lighters. If the firesetting continues, or if the first incident caused any damage, your child should be evaluated to determine the cause of this behavior.