by Eric R. Lotke

About the author: Eric R. Lotke is a research associate at the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives.

The headlines create the impression of a nation in crisis. Juvenile homicide hits all-time high, they declare. Scourge of youth violence sweeping the nation. Politicians lament the death of our youth and vow to keep neighborhoods safe. Teachers warn students to shun attractive clothing, fearing they will be shot by children who plan to make it their own. Rarely have alarm bells rung so loudly or so long; even good news like the recent decline in juvenile homicide was followed by warnings that the worst is yet to come.

Two problems of juvenile violence face our nation. The first problem is that certain neighborhoods have suffered from tremendous increases in youth violence. In these...