MORE than half of all serious crimes in the United States are committed by children 10 to 17 years old. Murder, rape, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, car theft​—you name it; the kids have done it. Youth crime is rising twice as fast as adult crime, and girls are rapidly getting involved in violent crime. From 1970 to 1975, girl offenders increased 40 percent, to compare with 24 percent for boys.

A 12-year-old who specialized in robbing elderly women, later said: “I was young, and I knew I wasn’t gonna get no big time. So, you know, what’s to worry?” Another boy, 15, recalled why he shot a man: “Wasn’t nothin’. I didn’t think about it. . . . I was young. The most I could have got then is 18 months.”