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Discusses such aspects of juvenile delinquency as gangs, drug abuse, running away, and crime. Provides resources for additional information.

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Booklist Review

This volume is the newest addition to the Teenage Perspectives series. A combination of narrative and bibliography, it principally targets teen readers. Other Focus on . . . titles have treated families [RBB Je 15 90], school [RBB D 1 90], sexuality, and physical impairments. The editor states that the book "provides detailed information about youth offenses of all kinds. Special attention is given to the development of adolescents and their culture." Basically, the scope includes problem teens: youth gangs, violence, substance abuse, runaways, and the juvenile justice system. Violence is treated in three ways: as part of the gang phenomenon, as violence against persons, and as vandalism. Domestic violence and self-abuse are barely covered. Each chapter provides definitions, a few statistics, a brief narrative, agencies, and annotated fiction, nonfiction, and nonprint titles. Citations and annotations are brief, but clear. For nonprint materials, the full address of the distributor is given; because many suppliers are duplicative, addresses could have been included in an appendix to reduce each entry's length. A few magazine articles are also included, representative of discussion on each topic. The references listed at the end of each introductory article are more useful. No criteria are given for selection. The titles seem representative, not inclusive, and not necessarily the best. For example, Steffie Can't Come Out to Play has a very unrealistic ending and does not describe child prostitution accurately. Probably the most interesting list is the one of nonprint items, which can be difficult to locate. It should be noted that some materials are dated and may be unavailable. The single index includes titles, authors, and introductory topics. A good feature is the noting of format for nonprint materials. The index appears complete and accurate. Because the volume is intended for youth, treatment is somewhat simplistic, and the general tone is moralistic. This source would interest adults serving youth as well, especially for the core information and lists of sources. In fact, teens may feel somewhat intimidated by the introduction resource list. While not definitive, this reference work addresses a timely topic and would be a useful addition to youth reference collections. (Reviewed Sept. 15, 1991)