While on a business trip, Tom Phillips is in a car accident caused by a reckless driver. Tom survives the accident with but a severe chronic back injury leaves him unable to continue with his career. The Phillips' buy a motel in the California desert and Tom with his wife Peg and their two children, Tina and Jamie make the long road trip to their new home. As they approach their destination they are terrorized by reckless teenage hot-rodders looking for kicks.

A pious 20-year-old juvenile delinquent is sent to work at a sawmill in a small town; on arrival, he dresses up as a priest and accidentally takes over the local parish. The arrival of this young, charismatic preacher is an opportunity for the local community to begin the healing process after a tragedy that happened a year prior.

Tom Casey reports to the police some youngsters stealing from cars. He becomes the target of the 3 teenagers, who start to terrorise him and his family.

Marco, a teacher from Milan, relocates to Palermo and takes a temporary job teaching in a juvenile detention centre while he waits for a high school teaching position. He tries to understand and motivate his handful of students, encouraging them to stand up for their rights, finding out about their histories: Natale, in for murder and enamored with the Mafia; Pietro, who can't seem to stay out of jail; Claudio, barely 14 and learning to stand up for himself; and Mery, a trans sex worker, who was arrested after a fight with a trick who didn't want to pay her, and is now stuck in a male prison.

The Black Widows, a teenage girl gang, find one of their number killed. They blame her murder on Barbara, the on-again-off-again girlfriend of the leader of rival gang The Vandals. As the gangs prepare for a fight, we take a glimpse into their tumultuous home lives.

Two young high school boys spike the punch at a Halloween party, mischievously let the air out of car tires, and finally steal a car to go for a joyride. They're caught and thrown in jail, and, as the narrator says, this proves that pranks lead to "habit-forming wildness," and, of course, such anti-social behavior cannot be allowed to happen

Rural runaway finds himself in Manhattan.

Brooklyn youth Frank Cusack, good son and brother by day, is a gang member by night. The Dukes, seemingly likable dead-end-kids, are dangerously involved with racketeer Gaggsy Steens. Despite the efforts of Franks's parents, he and pal Benny get involved in a serious crime. Can Stan Albert, head of the community center, prevent them from becoming full-time crooks?

The Hellcats are an all-female gang bent on bucking authority at their high school. New student Joyce moves into the neighborhood and quickly draws their attention. Desperate for acceptance and unhappy with her home life, she becomes close to the Hellcats and begins drinking, dancing and meeting boys. Can Joyce's parents stop her descent into depravity?

Angel is released from juvenile detention on the eve of her 18th birthday. Haunted by her past, she embarks on a journey with her 10 year-old sister that could destroy their future.

A social worker tries to end juvenile crime by getting involved with a street gang.

An abandoned child steals to survive and has problems when he decides to steal from the priest who helps him.