Youths are not only victims of violence, but also perpetrators of violent crime. In 1999, there were 104,000 youths arrested for violent crimes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2001). An adolescent victim of violence has increased odds of becoming a perpetrator of crime, including felony assault, and thus, having involvement with the criminal justice system (Menard, 2002).
It costs $9,360 per month to detain a youth at the Hennepin County Detention Center, which houses an average of 98 juveniles per day. This amounts to an annual cost of $11 million per year to Hennepin County taxpayers (Blueprint for Action, 2008).
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