Other states have been experimenting with different programs which try to help the troubled youths. It is widely accepted that children cannot be held responsible for their actions because they do not know the difference between right and wrong. The causes of the rise in juvenile crime can be related to many things. They range from drugs to poor family life and encompass many things in between, however drugs are one major cause that needs to be addressed. According to ENN, in the mid-1980's there was a cocaine epidemic and this rise in cocaine use was directly related to a rise in gang wars in the United States which in turn lead to an arms race within these gangs.
Gangs are a popular source for many violent crimes due to poor family life.
Many children with poor families life find themselves in a gang which gives them a sense of togetherness and unity which they lack in home. In Oregon, the citizens voted to cut arts and extra-curricular activities from certain schools leaving the students of these schools with nothing to do after school. According to the Oregon Daily Emerald, this breakdown in family structure and school is one place to start fixing the juvenile crime problem. Whether it is the government, schools, or PBS something needs to be done to get kids off the streets and out of gangs. Our country will dissolve if we just sit back and let gang-bangers continue to kill people while receiving no more than a slap on the wrist for these crimes.