MUNCIE, Ind. -- A rash of murders attributed to teens is evidence that American society has failed to identify and help troubled juveniles, says a Ball State University criminologist. Millions of youngsters are at risk in an increasingly violent society, said J. Steven Smith, a criminology and criminal justice professor.

"We pay a lot of lip service to what youth need but we don't pay any real attention to their problems," Smith said. "For instance, we may have a thousand students in an elementary school but only a part-time counselor to help them with their problems.

"Today's youth are faced with things that past generations did not encounter," he said. "These children face divorce, drugs, alcohol, peer pressure and violence in the schools and on television. No wonder they just explode."

Smith has watched the number of violent juveniles steadily increase in recent years. He has worked with troubled juveniles for nearly 26 years, starting in 1972 in Phoenix, Ariz., handling gang-related incidents in urban housing projects.

He later directed a statewide system of teen group homes in Arizona before becoming a professor at Ball State in 1985.

Smith was not surprised recently when a teen-ager in Paducah, Ky., squeezed off several fatal rounds into a group of fellow students after a prayer meeting.

In fact, he's amazed such incidents don't happen more often. In the last year, there have been three multiple killings at small-town schools.

"These incidents do not surprise me because of all the violent teen-agers we see in juvenile detention centers today," Smith said. "A decade ago we would never see a kid in for homicide. Now we have two or three."

Smith believes that to reduce teen-related violence, families and community organizations must work together to assist troubled young people.

Many juveniles can be reached by expanding counseling programs offered by schools, church groups, YMCAs, scouting organizations, and recreational programs, he said.

"We can't wait to do something until a juvenile commits a crime and is sent to a jail filled with adults and with workers paid just a few cents over minimum wage," Smith said. "A kindergarten teacher can easily point out a trouble child. But, we have to reach that student with appropriate services early, before the major problems develop.

"We can't expect a social service agency to correct a juvenile's problems after just 90 or 120 days," he said. "Violent behavior takes years to develop."