There is no agreeable answer as to why juveniles become delinquent. According to Peter Greenwood and colleague, delinquent children are more likely to come from troubled families and neighborhoods. They’re also likely to engage in drug use and have issues in school. (League of Women). The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) stated on “The Crime Problem” report in 1954 that poor home conditions are a common cause among the delinquent juveniles. This includes coming from a broken home where both or the one of the parent is absent due to divorce, separation, or death. The home is inadequate because they’re living in poverty and the parents’ lack in parenting skills. (Congressional Digest).
The common strategy in finding out why juveniles engage in delinquent acts is investigating into their lives. A child’s life consists of many factors that can have positive or negative effect on them. First and most importantly, we should look into the family and their home. It can start as early as being in the womb of the mother. All the nutrients the baby gets for 9 months comes from what the mother takes during the pregnancy. If the mother uses drugs or alcohol, the baby does too. Neglect, whether done consciously or not, is something that does happen more often than we expect.Most delinquent juveniles do come from poor neighborhoods who are mostly minorities. They lack in the most resources compared to any other class. Drug dealing is a common criminal activity in this kind of neighborhood because it’s fast easy money that does not require an education. The street is also where they learn their delinquent behaviors. The exposure of being around other delinquent neighborhood children can lure them into doing the same thing. They’ll end up joining the gangs and carry out more delinquent acts as they become more involved.
Children are a learning machine always curious about the world. Teach them correctly the first way, and it will only do them good. Provide them with the resources and attention they need, and they will have the tools to become successful. It’s not impossible to reduce the recidivism rates among juveniles. Children will show some sort of sign. When they do, it’s a matter if anything is going to be done about it. For them, engaging in delinquent behavior is a silent cry for help because they can’t tell the difference between right or wrong.
Reference:
Congressional Digest. (1954). Conditions Conducive To Youth Crime. The Congressional Digest. 291-301.
League of Women Voters of California Education Fund. (1996). Perceptions on the Causes of Juvenile Delinquency. Retrieved from http://ca.lwv.org/jj/causes.htm
You make a good point about showing kids how to do things right the first time, this pertains to all aspects of their life's. Whether they are learning how to act, whats right and wrong, or even how to do math problems. If you show and teach a young kid how to do things right the first time they have a better chance of being successful. One thing that we see in today's society is a lack of parenting, there are a lot of children especially in minority neighborhoods that are being raised in the streets. Most families in minority communities consist of broken homes and single working parents that don't have the adequate resources to properly raise their children (not all families in these communities, some are doing well). However, we can't really blame this on the people in these communities (some we can), this has a lot to do with the structure of society and families being placed in an environment that makes it almost impossible to work their way out. It is really a said sight when we see families that are doing the best they know how and society makes it hard for them to succeed. Just look at the school systems in these minority communities, most of these youths are set up for failure from the start. Anyways..nice post!
ReplyDeleteRyan...
ReplyDeleteOur society does make it difficult to succeed. We grew up knowing higher education will help us reach our dreams. Getting a loan for a house isn't simple. It's so complicated. Even renting a home requires credit and income check. Not to say that minorities can't succeed; some do. The thing is, everyone has their own definition of what successful means to them in life. For some, it could be as simple as having a roof over their head, putting foods on the table, some time with the kids, and just having a job that pays. Your comment does have me thinking. That maybe it's our fault, as a society, that we make it so difficult for families to succeed in the first place. But then again, we do have programs, free of charge, for low income families to get an education and teach them to be better parents.
Parenting is no joke and it isn't easy at all. I have a difficult little one; only difficult because he's curious and loves to explore. Disciplining him will be hard, because he does spend a good amount of time with his grandparents who will always let him have his way. What I see wrong may not seem wrong to them. I am a first time parent, so I have no knowledge of what will work. I could get advices from other parents, but what works with theirs may not work with mine. Children are unique and as long as the parents tend to their needs and discipline them firmly; most of the time, it should result in a positive outcome.