Book excerpt: Juvenile crime and violence has always piqued the public's interest. Indeed, each generation of Americans tends to define the youth crime problem as more serious than any previous generation. Even though juvenile homicides have been decreasing since the mid-1990s, the media is still quick to provide dramatic examples of juvenile monsters who are terrorizing their communities. Shootings at school, gang banging and trafficking drugs, school bullies, and charging juveniles as adults are subjects that have recently received wide media coverage. This three volume set on the nature, incidence, consequences, and treatment of youth crime and violence will help readers understand the true nature of youth crime and violence from a variety of perspectives. Each volume covers a different area and experts write on topics ranging from sex offending to fire starting, from gangs to guns, from juvenile probation to charging youths as adults, from mandatory mental health treatment to police in school settings, and more. What drives a teenager to steal? To kill? Why does youth crime and violence occur? Why are youths such vulnerable targets? What can be done to stop youth offenders, and what can be done to help youthful victims? How does the criminal justice system respond? What do communities do to punish and protect youths? What can schools do to intervene? All these questions and more are answered in this set on this timely and important topic. Our youth are our most precious commodity, and protecting vulnerable children as well as helping offenders is of paramount importance for steering them toward safe and productive lives. These volumes help readers better understand the causes and consequences of youth violence and crime and consider ways to address the problems.