The Lost Population

The author explores the issue of juvenile delinquency and behaviors such as running away, truancy and curfew violations. The Lost Population will serve as a starting point for a new dialog about status offenders and how to keep them from becoming hardened delinquents.Often status offending is a gateway to more serious crime. Most people don't think skipping school or underage drinking or violating curfew is that big of a deal, yet it does have linkages to more traditional forms of delinquency and can lead to other types of problems. Additionally, there seems to be a sense in the juvenile justice system that a "get tough" approach to crime is needed. This opinion, coupled with a belief that status offenders are not that different from traditional delinquents, leads to a social policy that regards this type of activity as similar to all types of offending. The result is the detention of status offenders. Instead, perhaps, treatment or help dealing with dysfunctional families should be offered in the place of detention.

Robert Hartmann McNamara is an Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina.