Violent juvenile crime in Texas is skyrocketing

The number of violent crimes among young people in Texas is steadily increasing. This is a cause for concern and requires the implementation of preventive measures.

In fiscal year 2023, 8.2% of youth in the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) system committed a murder, which equates to one in 12 admitted children under the age of 18. This number jumped from 1% of youth admitted to the TJJD who committed a murder in 2018.

In addition, the number of juveniles in the TJJD with a specific penalty increased from under 20% in 2018 to 33.6% in 2023. Specific penalties mean that the offender receives a prison or detention sentence with a set duration and no possibility of parole. These are traditionally applied to more serious crimes such as murder, aggravated robbery or sexual assault.

Hand in hand with the increasing number of violent crime cases among young people goes the number of children and young people who require psychiatric treatment.

According to TJJD, aggression and the need for mental health treatment among adolescents are at an all-time high. Lack of mental health treatment can put adolescents at higher risk for violent crime.

A recent Dallas County Community Needs Report showed that youth mental health has worsened since the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 31% increase in depression among female adolescents in Texas from 2017 to 2021.

Since 2018, the number of juveniles admitted to TJJD for murder has doubled, the number of weapons offenses has increased by 50%, and the number of drug charges has increased sharply from 1,317 in 2018 to 7,978 in 2023.

According to the CDC, homicide is the third leading cause of death among people ages 10 to 24 nationwide.

In Dallas, there were similar patterns in juvenile crime.

Last year, 247 people were killed in Dallas, and nearly 43% of the victims were in their teens or 20s, according to the city's crime analytics dashboard.

As of September 5, 166 people have been killed in Dallas this year. Seventy-five of those fatalities were teenagers or in their twenties. So far this year, 13 eighteen-year-olds have been killed in Dallas, the highest number of any age group.

Many young people are victims, but just as many are perpetrators.

In July, two teenage girls were charged with capital crimes after shooting a young man near Victory Park. The victim's age was not disclosed.

Local authorities are encouraged to implement prevention strategies to prevent a further increase in violent youth crime.

According to the CDC, a healthy family environment, especially in early childhood, can prevent children from becoming criminals.

In addition, a quality education at a young age can make a difference. School programs, after-school programs, and mentoring programs can impact a child's life.

Many children who become violent juvenile offenders grow up in violent environments, which is why the CDC says street outreach and changing societal norms are so important.

Dallas is home to Café Momentum, a paid internship program for youth ages 15 to 19 who have been involved in the criminal justice system.

At-risk young people work in the café as waiters, assistant waiters and cooks and receive instruction from trainers on life and social skills.

Programs like Café Momentum can play a crucial role in giving young people the community support they need to steer their lives away from crime.