Adolescents who murder

Although few in number, children and adolescents who murder attract much public attention. Following a review of the literature on aetiology, assessment, treatment programmes and outcomes, descriptive data on a 5-year cohort of 20 adolescent murderers from England and Wales are presented. An outline is made of their pathway through the care and criminal justice system together with a framework for ongoing individual therapy. Suggestions are made about refinement of categories of juvenile homicide, and increased information sharing between child and adolescent and adult forensic specialists and the relevance of this group to the mainstream adolescent offenders. Crimes of violence of children differ little from place to Place and from epoch to epoch. In Britain approximately the same number of juvenile murderers and future privy councillors are born each week. Anger, shock, grief and self righteousness often demand certain punishments but sanctions thus motivated cannot be said to have the efficacy of curative measures (Wlson, 1973). (C) 1996 The Association for Professionals in Services for Adolescents