1.青少年犯罪的概念
段落大意：青少年犯罪指18歲以下青少年的各種違規、違法行為。
Juvenile （青少年的） crime, in law, refers to various offenses committed by children or youths under the age of 18. Such acts are sometimes referred to as juvenile delinquency （青少年犯罪）. Children’s offenses typically include delinquent acts, which would be considered crimes if committed by adults, and status offenses, which are less serious misbehavior such as truancy （逃學） and parental disobedience. Both are within the jurisdiction （管轄範圍） of the juvenile court. More serious offenses committed by minors may be tried in criminal court and be subject to prison sentences.
2.有關青少年犯罪動機的說法
段落大意：有犯罪動機的違法行為才構成犯罪。長期以來，人們認為14歲以下兒童沒有犯罪動機。現在，這一說法受到質疑。
Under Anglo-American （英美的） law, a crime is an illegal act committed by a person who has criminal intent （動機）. A long-standing presumption held that, although a person of almost any age could commit a criminal act, children under 14.years old were unlikely to have criminal intent. Many juvenile courts have now discarded this so-called infancy defense and have found that delinquent acts can be committed by children of any age.
3.美國的青少年犯罪問題
段落大意：公眾對青少年犯罪的關注度日益增長，以及青少年犯罪的趨勢變化。
The public appears to be much more aware of juvenile crime today than in the past; this is due in part to more thorough reporting techniques and greater emphasis on publicizing delinquent acts in the media. Official US crime reports in the 1980s showed that about one-fifth of those arrested for crimes are under 18.years of age. In the 1990s, juvenile arrests increased in almost every serious crime category, and female juvenile crime more than doubled. During the recent five years, juvenile arrests have decreased slightly each year. Unofficial reports, however, suggest that a higher percentage of juveniles are involved in minor criminal behavior. Grossly underreported common offenses include vandalism （破壞公物）, shoplifting （商店行竊）, underage drinking, and using marijuana （大麻）.
4.青少年犯罪多為團夥作案
段落大意：大多數青少年犯罪為團夥作案，一般而言可分為三大類。
Official records indicate that much juvenile crime is a group or gang activity. Juvenile gangs are typically classified as violent, delinquent and social. Members of violent gangs sometimes have unstable personalities. Disputes center on territory or gang warfare and are assaultive （好攻擊的）, often involving deadly weapons. While group violence is sanctioned （批準）, individual violence is discouraged. The delinquent gang is a small cohesive （團結的） group developed to carry out criminal acts, such as petty thievery （小偷小摸） and robbery. Although violence may be used, the primary goal is material gain. The social gang is a relatively permanent group of youths. In contrast to the common characterisation of gang-generated crime, however, studies often reveal that youth crime is a personal, independent effort not directly related to group activity.
5.青少年犯罪的誘因
段落大意：許多有關青少年犯罪誘因的研究認為個人因素及社會影響是兩大誘因。
Many theories concerning the causes of juvenile crime focus either on the individual or on society as the major contributing influence. Theories centering on the individual suggest that children engage in criminal behavior because they were not sufficiently penalized （懲罰） for previous delinquent acts or that they have learned criminal behavior through interaction with others. A person who becomes socially alienated （疏離的） may be more inclined to commit a criminal act. Theories focusing on the role of society in juvenile delinquency suggest that children commit crimes in response to their failure to improve their socio-economic conditions, or as disapproval of middle-class values.
6.富裕家庭的孩子的犯罪原因
段落大意：貧窮家庭和富裕家庭的孩子都有可能犯罪。缺少家長管製、遲遲無法獲得成年人身份、享樂傾向，這些都可能導致富裕家庭的孩子犯罪。
Most theories of juvenile delinquency have focused on children from disadvantaged families, ignoring the fact that children from affluent homes also commit crimes. The latter may commit crimes because of the lack of adequate parental control, delays in achieving adult status, and hedonistic （享樂的） tendencies. All theories, however, are tentative （試驗性的） and are subject to criticism.
7.社會結構變化對青少年犯罪的影響
段落大意：社會結構變化會間接影響青少年犯罪率。經濟變化導致青少年的就業機會減少，由此引發不滿，從而導致犯罪。
Changes in the social structure may indirectly affect juvenile crime rates. For example, changes in the economy that leads to fewer job opportunities for youth and rising unemployment in general, make gainful employment increasingly difficult for young people to obtain. The resulting discontent may in turn lead more youths into criminal behavior.
8.家庭結構變化及其他因素對青少年犯罪的影響
段落大意：家庭結構的變化，使孩子受不到足夠的家庭監護，從而導致犯罪。而且在學校遇到的挫折和失敗、毒品和酒精的日益容易獲得，以及虐待和忽視兒童都是青少年犯罪的誘因。
Families have also experienced changes in the last 25.years. More families consist of one-parent households or two working parents; consequently, children are likely to have less supervision at home than in the traditional family structure. This lack of parental supervision is thought to be an influence on juvenile crime rates. Other identifiable （可確認的） causes of delinquent acts include frustration or failure in school, the increased availability of drugs and alcohol, and the growing incidence of child abuse and child neglect. All these conditions tend to increase the probability of a child committing a criminal act, although a direct causal relationship has not yet been established.
9.對青少年犯罪的管製 I：社區管製
段落大意：對青少年犯罪的管製有四大方法：社區管製、居所管製、非居所社區管製和專門機構收容。社區管製指對犯罪孩子實行察看。
The juvenile justice system tries to treat and rehabilitate （改造） youngsters who are involved in delinquency. The methods can be categorized as community treatment, residential treatment （居所管製）, nonresidential community treatment （非居所社區管製）, and institutionalisation （機構收容）. In most cases community treatment involves placing the child on probation （察看）. When the child is believed to be not harmful to others, he or she is placed under the supervision of an officer of the juvenile court and must abide by the specific rules that are worked out between the officer and the child. In some instances community treatment also takes the form of restitution （賠償）, in which the child reimburses （償還） the victim either through direct payment or through some form of work or public service.
10.對青少年犯罪的管製 II：居所管製和非居所社區管製
段落大意：居所管製指將青少年關入教養所，為其提供心理和職業指導，也包括森林營地或勞教農場等鄉村項目。非居所社區管製指犯罪青少年住在家中接受心理健康治療等服務。
Residential treatment generally takes place in a group home （教養所） where the juvenile is provided with psychological and vocational counseling. Other forms of residential treatment include rural programs such as forest camps and work farms （勞改農場）. Youngsters placed in nonresidential community-based treatment programs do not reside at the facility. Instead they live at home and receive treatment from mental health clinics or similar services.
11.對青少年犯罪的管製 III：專門機構收容
段落大意：專門機構收容是對青少年犯罪者最嚴厲的管製手段。犯罪青少年被監禁在專門機構中，並被限製自由，由該機構負責他們的勸告、教育、娛樂、食宿和其他日常活動。
Institutionalisation is the most severe punishment for juvenile offenders. The child is incarcerated （監禁） in a secure facility and denied freedom to come and go in the community. The institution is responsible for the child’s counseling （勸告）, education, recreation, room and board, and other daily activities.
12.對青少年犯罪管製方式的有效性
段落大意：通過累犯率來衡量管製方式的有效性，目前尚無事實表明哪種管製方式最有效。
No specific treatment has been proven the most effective form. Effectiveness is typically measured by recidivism （累犯） rates, that is, by the percentage of children treated who subsequently commit additional criminal acts. The recidivism rates for all forms of treatment, however, are about the same. That a large percentage of delinquent acts are never discovered further complicates this measurement. Thus, an absence of subsequent reported delinquent acts by a treated child may mean nothing more than that the child was not caught.
13.不同國家青少年犯罪率的比較
段落大意：不同國家青少年犯罪率的比較受到國家司法體係、犯罪形式、犯罪報告方式等因素的限製。然而，它們存在一些明顯的相似性。
Comparisons of the juvenile crime rates in various countries are severely limited by wide variations in national legal systems, categories of criminal behavior, and methods of reporting crimes. Certain similarities are apparent, however. For example, Canadian, Australian, and European criminal studies show the actual number of crimes to be several times those known to the authorities. According to one study in Finland, the larcenies （盜竊罪） known to the police were only 5.percent of the total that occurred. Also, homicide （殺人） rates in France, Spain, and the United Kingdom are far lower than those in such countries as the United States and Mexico.
14.父母與孩子的法定關係
段落大意：父母與孩子的法定關係規定：父母雙方均為孩子的監護人；離婚或分居後任一方家長均可做孩子的監護人；父母必須為孩子提供生活必需品；虐待孩子的父母會受到法律製裁；父親對孩子所負有的義務。
The legal relationships of parent and child established under common law have been modified by statute （成文法） in Britain and the US. In general, such statutes provide （規定） that a married woman is a joint guardian of her children with her husband, with equal powers, rights, and duties. Either parent has the right to custody of the children of the marriage. In a divorce or separation, the court can award custody to the parent best qualified and able to care for the children. Parents must provide for their children such necessities of life as food, clothing, shelter, education, and medical care, and if they cannot or will not, state laws authorise intervention by designated authorities to ensure that children’s needs are met. Children who are physically or emotionally abused by their parents may be the subject （對象） of legal action in order to protect the children. Parents’ rights to custody of their children may be limited or, in extreme cases, terminated （終結） because of failure to provide adequate care. Laws require a father to support his minor children if he is able to do so, whether or not he has ever been married to their mother. Failure to provide support may result in civil or criminal proceedings against him. If paternity （父親的身份） has been admitted or established, laws permit children to inherit from their father’s estate unless specifically excluded in his will.