Youth Firesetting and Intellectual Disabilities

摘要

Often, when a police officer is called to a youth-set fire, it is after the fire has been extinguished. The officer may see no need to involve the fire department or to refer the case to the county attorney's office since no serious damage has occurred. Parents or caregivers may not understand the gravity of this behavior, may not want to get their child in trouble, or may not want to make themselves look bad. They may think that a small fire is not very serious or that firesetting is just a phase that every child goes through. This is a concern because any fire may result in economic losses, destruction, injuries, and death.1 According to the Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 2014 National Report by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), 40 percent of individuals arrested for arson are under the age of 18, and 58 percent involve youth under the age of 15. Most states also have an age of accountability; often, children under the age of 10 will not be charged with arson.