Not only does the family have to cope with the needs of the child who is in trouble, but they may also have to raise large amounts of money to pay for lawyers. In addition, the family has to face the ethical issues of responsibility to the victims of the child's crime.
Families must usually attend group counseling sessions, which can be disruptive and costly during the time when the child is in detention or on probation.
There is a correlation between juvenile delinquency and drug use, gang involvement, alcohol abuse, and sexual behavior. All of these issues challenge communities by making neighborhoods unsafe and costing large amounts of public money to be spent on law enforcement and school safety.
Young people who commit serious crimes before they are 18 years old challenge the future for everyone involved. They may be acting out to protest perceived abuses that have been perpetrated against them. They may believe that there is no future for them outside of a life of crime.
They may be expressing anger or frustration directed against another person or group or looking for approval from a gang. Whatever the motive, juvenile delinquency affects too many American individuals, families, and communities. It is time to hope for the best…. This independence from the family results in increasing dependence of the adolescent on other adolescents.
But adolescents cannot take the place of parents as socializing agents because they have little or no investment in the outcome, and are less likely to recognize deviant behavior. Tables and Sylvies et al. Reis, Jr. Finkelhor, H. Turner, R. Ormrod, S. Department of Justice Menard, Dorothy Lewis et al. Mitchell, Michael W. Arthur, and Pauline M. Wayne Osgood and Jeff M. Delbert S. Elliott, David Huizinga, and Barbara J.
SS-4 Available from ss Naomi Duke, Sandra L. Statistics released by bureaus in various states indicate that the rate of juvenile offense is increasing. Offending patterns among groups that have, in the past, been described as risk groups for juvenile delinquency are worsening, or at least, unchanging. There is therefore, the need to analyze the causes of Juvenile delinquency, evaluate the effects that delinquency has on the society, and come up with interventions that can lead to a reduction in the rate of delinquency, and recidivism, among juveniles.
This paper describes the problem of juvenile recidivism, and suggests ways in which the rate of delinquency can be reduced. A substantial percentage of arrests made each day in the U. The number of juveniles engaging in delinquent behavior in various states is dependent on racial disparities.
Currently, black juveniles constitute the highest number of youths being held in residential custody. In a number of cases, Juveniles are tried in adult courts. In fact, the Kansas and Vermont states in the U. This situation may need review. In the United States, more than 1. Two thousand of the aforementioned cases were criminal homicide. Forcible rape constituted 6,, while aggravated assault cases totaled 67, Out of the 1. The statistics outlined above show the seriousness of the issue of delinquency in the United States.
Given the effects that delinquency has in the society, it is vital to understand the causes of delinquency. It is also critical to come up with solutions and prevention strategies for delinquency. There has been heated debates world over among criminologists, psychologists, and sociologists concerning the possible causes of delinquency in juveniles. The causes that are included in the following discussion are those that have been proven through practical research.
One of the leading causes of delinquent behavior among juveniles is peer influence. Research shows that young people who form relationships with positive individuals and groups that pursue positive commitments tend to shun delinquent behavior. On the other hand, juveniles can engage in activities that do not have concrete objectives and commitments.
These kinds of activities are likely to lead to volatile relationships that may encourage delinquent behavior. Examples of these behaviors include drinking and smoking. Other behaviors without commitment that juveniles may engage in include watching television, and spending too much time watching movies. Despite the fact that most people attach no harm to these activities, research has proven that the more time peers spend time watching television, the more likely they are to engage in delinquent behaviors Mandel 1.
Another factor that has been proved to contribute to juvenile delinquency is family influence. It is even suspected that family influence contributes to delinquent behavior more than peer pressure. Research has proven that families in which there is no strong emotional bonding tend to have juveniles who turn out to be delinquent.
This is because the juveniles may develop psychological problems like rejection and low self-esteem, which may lead to delinquent behavior. Other causes of psychological problems like trauma and low self-esteem are also linked to delinquency. The two can originate from sources outside the family. Children who are abused or exposed to family violence are likely to be delinquents. Some studies have linked genes to delinquency, arguing that children who are raised by criminals and drug addicts are likely to become delinquent.
Another risk is a family in which there are no effective communication channels. Children who are raised in this kind of a family may have issues that they want to address, but they may lack audience. This is likely to make them result to delinquent behavior. Non-traditional families like reconstituted families and single parent families may also be a factor.
Research has shown that children who are raised by single parents or divorcees tend to be more delinquent than their counterparts who are raised in traditional families are Mandel 1. Race is a significant factor in predicting delinquent behavior.
The main reason why race is a determinant factor for delinquency is that minority groups are not accorded the same treatment as other races. This makes them to live disgruntled lives, which may make them have delinquent behavior. Once the trend of delinquency is set in a certain race, the peer influence then fuels recidivism and fresh offense. It is important to note that numerous scholars argue that race is not the factor, but racism is Mandel 1.
Juvenile delinquency is a big problem that not only affects the victims of the delinquents, but it also affects the juvenile delinquents themselves, their family, and even the society as a whole.
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