But most criminologists think that dip is temporary. When talking about crime and delinquency, liberals stress such factors as poverty and joblesness. Fewer than half of young black high school dropouts were either working or looking for work during 1994. And the number of substantiated cases of child maltreatment rose by 20 percent from 1990 to 1993. Both positions are right, and related to each other in a downward spiral.
Private citizens can help.
A prime example is Philadelphia's Youth Aid Panel program. Panels of adult volunteers in each of the city's police districts hear cases of first-time juvenile offenders and mete out punishments that range from curfews to community service. The estimated receidivism rate is an impressively low 20 percent. And, yet, by becoming a friend and providing support to these young people, these mentors cut youth crime and positively influenced young lives in many ways. In New York City, for example, the Protestant but interdenominational New York Theological Seminary has trained more than 2,000 ministers who are presently providing to their communities a wide range of youth outreach services, such as literacy training and after-school programs.