1. Judging from countless media reports in newspapers from coast to coast, it would surely seem that we have finally got a handle on the Nation’s crime problem. The most recent FBI release of crime statistics for 1995 revealed a welcome drop in violent crime, including an 8 percent decline in homicide. After four straight years of lower crime levels, some crime experts and law enforcement officials have even dared boldly to suggest that we’re winning the war agaginst crime.
从各州无数的报纸媒体所报道的信息来看，显然我们已经对全国的犯罪问题进行了有效的控制。根据最新的联邦调查局公布的犯罪统计，1995年暴力犯罪呈下降趋势，其中杀人罪减少了8%。在连续四年保持较低的犯罪水平之后，一些犯罪学专家和执法者甚至大胆地说，在与犯罪行为作斗争中我们正赢得胜利。
2. Though recent trends are encouraging, at least superficially, there is little time to celebrate these successes. It is doubtful that today’s improving crime picture will last for very long. Most likely, this is the calm before the crime storm. While many police officials can legitimately feel gratified about the arrested crime rate—better that it be down than up—there is much more to the great crime drop story. Hidden beneath the overall drop in homicide and other violent crime is a soaring rate of mayhem among teenagers.
尽管目前的趋势是令人鼓舞的，至少表面是，但我们仍然没有时间去庆祝这一胜利。今天犯罪行为的减少这一情况究竟能够持续多久是值得怀疑的。这很有可能是犯罪风暴来临前的平静。当许多警察对犯罪率感到很满意时 — 当然降低要比升高好得多 —在犯罪率降低的背后隐藏有许多故事。在杀人罪和其他暴力犯罪整体减少的背后是青少年犯重伤害罪的急剧上升。
3. There are actually two crime trends ongoing in America — one for the young and one for the mature, which are moving in opposite directions. Since 1990, for example, the rate fo homicide committed by adults, ages 25 and older, has declined 18 percent as the baby boomers matured well past their crime prime years. At the same time, however, the homicide rate by teenagers, ages 14 to 17, has increased 22 percent. Even more alarming and tragic is that over the past decade, the homicide rate at the hands of teenagers has nearly tripled, increasing 172 percent from 1985 to 1994.
实际上在美国有两类犯罪倾向 — 一类是青少年犯罪，另一类是成年人犯罪，两者呈相反方向发展。例如从1990年25岁以上的成年人犯杀人罪的比例降低了18%，这是由于二战后在人口高峰期出生的那些人基本上已经过了犯罪的年龄。与此同时，14到17岁的青少年所犯杀人罪增长了22%。更可悲的是在过去的十年里，青少年犯杀人罪的比例增长了几乎三倍。从1985到1994年增长了172%。
4. Therefore, while the overall U.S. homicide rate has indeed declined in recent years, the rate of juvenile murder continues to grow, unabated by the spread of community policing, increased incarceration, and a variety of other popular crime-fighting strategies. In the overall crime mix, the sharp decline in crime among the large adult population has eclipsed the rising crime rate among the relatively small population of teens.
因此尽管在过去几年里，全美国的杀人犯罪率在降低，但青少年杀人罪继续呈上升趋势，并没有因社区警力的投入、监禁的增加和其他打击犯罪手段的实施而有所减弱。从总体的犯罪情况来看，大量成年人犯罪的急剧减少掩盖了少数青少年犯罪率增加这一事实。
5. Trends in age-specific violent arrest rates for homicide, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault confirm the patterns found in homicide statistics. Teenagers now exceed all age groups, even young adults, in their absolute rate of arrest for violent crime overall. Conventional wisdom in criminology –that young adults generally represent the most violence-prone group –apparently needs to be modified in light of these disturbing changes.
根据不同年龄来统计的犯罪率，包括杀人罪、强奸罪、抢劫罪和恶意攻击罪，更加证实了以上杀人罪所反映出的特点。如今青少年因暴力犯罪而被捕的绝对数量已经超过了所有其他年龄的人群，甚至超过了青年人。犯罪学的传统理论认为，青年人是最有可能实施暴力犯罪的人群，鉴于以上这些变化，如今看来这一观点有待修改了。
6. The causes of the surge in youth violence since the mid-1980s reach, of course, well beyond demographics. There have been tremendous changes in the social context of crime over the past decade, which explain why this generation of youth –the young and the ruthless –is more violent than others before it. Our youngsters have more dangerous drugs in their bodies, more deadly weapons in their hands, and a seemingly more casual attitude about violence. It is clear that too many teenagers in this country, particularly those in urban areas, are plagued with idleness and even hopelessness. A growing number of teens and preteens see few feasible or attractive alternatives to violence, drug use, and gang membership. For them, the American Dream is a nightmare. There may be little to live for and to strive for, but plenty to die for and even to kill for.
从二十世纪八十年代中期青少年犯罪急剧增长，其原因远远不是人口问题所能解释的。在过去的年代里犯罪所依托的社会环境发生了巨大的变化，这就是为什么这一代青年人 — 冷酷的年轻人— 要比以前更残忍更暴力。这一代青年人的身上藏有更危险的毒品，手中握有更致使的武器，并且对于暴力抱着更不疑难问题的态度。显然在这个国家，太多的青少年，尤其是都市里的青少年，备受闲散和无聊的折磨，甚至是绝望。越来越多的青少年找不到更能吸引他们的东西来代替暴力、毒品和黑社会。对于他们而言，美国梦就是一场噩梦。没有什么值得活下去，并为之奋斗的，但却有很多东西值得他们去死，甚至是杀人。
7. The problem of kids with guns cannot be overstated in view of recent trends in gun-related killings among youth. Since the mid-1980s, the number of gun-homicides —particularly with handguns —perpetrated by juveniles has quadrupled, while the prevalence of juvenile homicide involving all other weapons combined has remained virtually constant.
考虑到年轻人持枪犯罪的趋势，青少年持枪的问题已不再是被过分夸大。自从二十世纪八十年代中期，青少年持枪杀人的数量—尤其是用手枪—增长了四倍，而青少年用其他武器杀人的情况保持不变。
8. Guns are far more lethal in several respects. A 14-year-old armed with a gun is far more menacing than a 44-year-old with a gun. Although juveniles may be untrained in using firearms, they are more willing to pull the trigger over trivial matters —a leather jacket, a pair of sneakers, a challenging remark, or no reason at all — without fully considering the consequences. Also, the gun psychologically distances the offender from the victim; if the same youngster had to kill his or her victim (almost always someone known) with hands, he or she might be deterred by the physical contact.
从几个方面来说枪支都更加危险。一个14岁持枪的少年要比一个44岁的持枪人危险性更大。尽管青少年没有接受过训练如何使用枪支，但他们会为了一点鸡毛蒜皮的小事情，比如一件皮衣、一双运动鞋、一句挑衅的话、或者根本就没有理由而扣动扳机，完全不考虑后果。再者，枪支使罪犯从心理上和受害者之间保持了距离；如果同一个青少年罪犯不得不用双手来杀死受害者（通常是他认识的人），他或她可能就会因为身体接触而中止了犯罪行为。
9. While the negative socializing forces of drugs, guns, gangs, and the media have become more threatening, the positive socializing forces of family, school, religion, and neighborhood have grown relatively weak and ineffective. Increasingly, children are being raised in homes disrupted by divorce and economic stress; too many children emerge undersocialized and undersupervised.
然而像毒品、枪支、黑帮和媒体等负面社会力量变得越来越强大，而家庭、学校、宗教和社区等正面社会力量变得越来越虚弱和无效。越来越多的儿童生活在离异或是经济拮据的家庭，太多的儿童没有人监管。
10. At this juncture, as many as 57 percent of children in America do not have full-time parental supervision, either living with a single parent who works full time or in a two-parent household with both parents working full time. The lack of parental supervision for young children is nearly as great. As many as 49 percent of children under age six do not have the benefit of full-time parenting. While some children enjoy suitable substitute supervision provided by friends and relatives or in day-care, far too many do not.
在这一点上，高达57%的美国儿童没有受到父母全天的监护，他们可能生活在单亲家庭，大人要全职上班，也可能父母双方都要全职上班。儿童缺少父母的监护这一现象是很普遍的。约有49%不满6岁的儿童没有享受过父母全天候的照看。而也有些儿童是由朋友、亲戚或托儿所来照看，更多的则没有人看管。
11. I do not mean to imply any special blame on the part of parents, and mothers in particular. While some parents are terribly ill-prepared for the task of raising children, most parents are well meaning and would like to have a greater role in their children’s lives. However, many families lack the support to control and guide their children. We should assist parents, not assail them.
我并不是要指责这些父母，尤其是母亲。其实很多父母对于养育儿女没有充分的准备，大多数父母都是善意的，很愿意在孩子的生活中承担责任。然而许多家庭缺少必要的支持来管教和引导孩子。因此我们应该帮助父母们，而不是指责他们。
12. The problem of unsupervised youth does not end nor the solution necessarily begin with the breakdown of the traditional family. Because of deep funding cuts in support programs for youth —from after-school care to recreation, from mentoring to education —as a society we are missing the fleeting opportunity to compensate for the diminished role of the family. As a consequence, children spend too little time engaged in structured activity with positive role models and too much time “hanging out” or watching a few savage killings on television as after-school entertainment. Bored and idle, our children have just too much time to kill —perhaps literally.
青少年不受监管的问题不会解决，解决方法也不会随着传统家庭的瓦解而自动产生。由于为青少年所设的项目基金被缩减 — 从校外看管到娱乐，从师资到教育 —作为社会我们失去了难得的机会来弥补家庭在教育儿童方面的作用。结果孩子们很少参与积极的活动，而把大量时间花在闲逛，看暴力影片，以此作为课外娱乐方式。孩子们有太多无聊的时间来打发 — 也许是这样的。
13. Whoever called baby boomer parents the “permissive generation” hasn’t been listening to the messages. We are constantly telling our kids, “Don’t.” “Don’t do drugs.” “Don't carry guns.” “Don’t have unsafe sex.” “Don’t watch Beavis and Butt-head.” But what can they do? For the sake of short-term economic savings, we have closed down the neighborhood movie houses, community recreation centers, and local swimming pools. To control taxes, we have neglected the zoos, playgrounds, ball fields, and lakes. School districts everywhere have abandoned after-school activities and intramural sports.
有人把二战后出生的孩子称为纵容的一代，他们并没有听到这些消息。我们一再告诉孩子，“不要”“不要沾毒品”“不要持枪”“不要有危险性行为”“不要年《瘪四与大头蛋》”。但是他们做什么呢？为了节省短期的财政支出，我们关闭了社区的电影院，娱乐中心，和当地的游泳池。为了控制税收，我们忽视了动物园、操场、球场和湖泊。校区取消了课外活动和校内体育运动。
14. The resulting problem of unsupervised youth is clearly reflected in the time-of-day patterns of juvenile violence. The prime time for juvenile crime is during the after-school hours —from 3 pm to 7pm —and certainly not after midnight when curfew laws might be contemplated.
无人监护的青少年成为青少年暴力犯罪的典型代表。青少年犯罪的时间是在课后—下午3点到7点—并不是在宵禁法所涉及的午夜时分。
15. As if the situation with youth violence was not bad enough already, future demographics are expected to make matters even worse. Not only are today’s violent teens maturing into more violent young adults, but they are being succeeded by a new and large group of teenagers. The same massive baby-boom cohort that as teenagers produced a crime wave in the 1970s has since grown up and had children of their own. There are now 39 million children in this country under the ate of 10, more young children than at any time since the 1950s when the original baby boomers were in grade school. The newest group of youngsters will soon reach their adolescence.
如果目前青少年犯罪的情况还不够糟糕，那么未来人口的发展会使这一问题更加恶化。今天具有暴力倾向的青少年会成为更加凶残的年轻罪犯，而且紧随他们的是一大批年龄更小的青少年。二战后的这一代在二十世纪七十年代创造了青少年犯罪的顶峰，此时他们已经成人，并有了自己的孩子。当前美国有三千九百万不满十岁的儿童，达到1950年以为儿童人数的最高峰。新一代的青少年也将很快就入他们的青春期。