Kids Who Kill

Sociology research papers on social problems can examine one of the most puzzling aspects of deviance in society - Kids Who Kill. Using Charles Patrick Ewing's work entitled Kids Who Kill, our writers can explicate the phenomena of murder among children and by children.

Charles Patrick Ewing's Kids Who Kill is a comprehensive manuscript of countless incidents of juvenile homicide. Documenting case after case of senseless and often unexplained acts of violence, Ewing reveals a timely pattern of insensitivity and lack of consciousness that threatens the fabric of society and offers major implications for further study on the reasons why kids kill.

In an overview of the subject Kids Who Kill looks at the following:

• Ewing offers that between 1,000 and 1,500 American juveniles commit murder each year
• Many kids commit premeditated acts in response to greed, lust and the desire for vengeance.
• Just as many are crimes of passion, committed in response to rage or provocation however the most disconcerting are those that indicate no inciting factors and which Ewing terms "utterly senseless".

Juvenile Homicide

Even more compelling is Ewing's suggestion that the number of incidents of juvenile homicide may actually be much higher because of misreporting or, in the case of very young children, the failure to formally arrest.

Ewing separates the criminal acts that he details into separate categories as they relate to what he considers are the primary denominators, characteristics or objectives in each problematic case. He points to what he considers the fact that gender plays a large role in juvenile homicide based primarily on the fact that most cases involve boys. He also notes that, while they are recorded cases of homicide involving girls and very young children, they are the least likely to commit non-negligent murders.

Ewing also covers issues of race as a variable in juvenile homicide. According to Ewing, in 1988 over 57% of American juveniles arrested for homicide were black and 25% were Hispanic. While he concedes that these percentages bear significance in proving that black and Hispanic youths commit more murders than white youths do, he also suggests that it may reveal an obvious pattern of discrimination in the American justice system.

Mental Health and Kids Who Kill

Ewing does not ignore the fact that many of these cases have been attributed to mental illness or impairment. While he agrees that any act of juvenile homicide should be considered an abnormal act, the consensus that only mentally disturbed or mentally retarded children are capable of such behavior is a misconception. On the contrary, Ewing argues that the preponderance of psychological and psychiatric evaluations prove that the majority may suffer from only mild emotional disorders.