Health & Parenting

Study: Nearly 1 in 3 U.S. Youths Will Be Arrested by Age 23

Why the Rise in Arrests? continued...

“Criminologists and economists are wrestling with that question right now,” he says.

Brame, the father of three young children, says he and his colleagues usually publish their research in journals read by criminologists, not pediatricians. But they wanted to reach out to pediatricians because they’re especially well-suited to heading off problems.

“Our main purpose in this paper was to get pediatricians to think about this and maybe have a broader discussion with their patients than they otherwise would have.”

Young people might feel more comfortable talking with their pediatrician than their parents about such issues as drug use, Brame says: “The pediatrician has training and skills to connect that person with appropriate programs and interventions.”