Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Delinquency
I. Factors in juvenile families that cause serious delinquency
Some of the factors in juvenile families that cause serious delinquency include lack of proper parental supervision, abuse and neglect, and ongoing parental conflict. Families that have parents who demonstrate a lack of respect for social norms and laws are likely to have children with the same behavior. This is one factor that may lead to serious juvenile delinquency. Families that have children who demonstrate weakest attachment to parents are juveniles who are likely to demonstrate delinquent conduct and activities that are inappropriate. The most essential method of child rearing includes monitoring or supervision. Most families are extremely occupied with their jobs such that they forget that they need to monitor juveniles. This is one factor that is likely to lead to juvenile delinquency. Lack of parental supervision is a factor that causes juvenile delinquency.
Families that provide their children with wrong parenting styles are likely to have children who turn to juvenile delinquency. Poor parenting styles cause children to grow as delinquents (Welsh, B & Siegel, L 2010). Ineffective parenting tends to lead juveniles to associating with deviant friends that leads to delinquency. Lack of care for juveniles’ means that parents lack care of one another. This is a factor that leads to a more serious cause of juvenile delinquency, separation, and divorce. Divorce between parents has a direct effect to juvenile delinquency. In families where the parents have undergone divorce, it is likely for the juveniles to be involved in bad influences. This is because they only have one eye to provide them with guidance. These children get involved with friends who may influence their behavior. This kind of children tends to have more time with their friends than families, and they adopt certain behaviors from them. Families where juveniles are poorly treated by their parents are likely to turn to turn to their friends who have the same problem.
Another factor regarding juvenile families that lead to delinquency might include the social class status. Juveniles who are from families that belong to low social class is likely not to have the same opportunities as the rest of the children. These children are likely to move and to other groups so that they can find comfort in people who are delinquent themselves. A large family is also a factor that may lead to delinquency in juveniles (Welsh, B & Siegel, L 2010). A child who has more than four siblings while he, or she is at his tenth birthday is likely to face neglect. The parents of this children are likely to put more attention on the younger siblings; thus neglecting the older ones. Because of neglect from the parents, these juveniles are likely to be involved in certain delinquent activities. This is the case because as the number of children in a family increases, the amount of attention that is given to a child tends to decrease.
When the number of children in a family increases, the household becomes overcrowded leading to an increase in irritation, frustration, and conflict. In this kind of families, the rate of juvenile delinquency is high. Because of neglect from families, juveniles are likely to become delinquents later in life. An example is that children who rarely get to meet with their parents and receive guidance and counseling from their parents is likely to be involved in criminal acts and be arrested as juveniles. This is because their families have no time to monitor their behaviors and guide them on what is right and wrong.
II. Public school factors that cause delinquency
The public school factors that are cause to delinquency include lack of role models and friends that the juveniles are associating with while at school. Friends in school are one factor that cause or lead to delinquency. Public schools are institutions where there are people with different behaviors. This is a place where the children meet with friends and tend to adapt some behavior from other people. Juveniles are people who tend to get influenced with the behavior of other people. They may adapt to certain behaviors thinking that such behaviors are good. The school management is also not very careful in monitoring the behavior of students. Because of the large populations of students in school, it is hard for the school management to monitor every student’s behavior. Therefore, some are neglected ending up being involved in criminal acts. Juveniles can become delinquent because their teachers do not have enough time for them. It is also likely for them to be delinquent because the teachers might be excessively strict on them; thus, causing them to lash out.
Public schools can be the cause of delinquency to students through the figure that the teachers portray to the juveniles (Welsh, B & Siegel, L 2010). Children usually want to have role models. The teachers should be the best role models to the children while they are at school. If the school has teachers who have ever been involved in criminal acts, it is likely for students to adapt to certain behaviors because students usually view their teachers as their role models. Teachers can be the cause of delinquency in public schools. For instance, if a teacher had been involved in a criminal act where he had to face criminal charges and later released after serving his jail term, then he went back to continue with his career as a teacher, it is likely for children to adapt such behavior from him. This is because the teacher is not relieved off his duty; therefore, the students might think that even after committing a crime, one can still get back and continue with their job. This is one factor that may cause or lead to delinquency.
Lack of attachment with the teachers is a cause of delinquency. When juveniles do not have a close relationship with the teachers, it is likely for them to be delinquent. They might get involved in certain behaviors that the teachers might notice when it is too late. Lack of teacher involvement in some of the activities that children get involved in a while at school may cause delinquency. Children can get involved in illegal activities because they know that the teacher is not around to watch over them. Since, while in schools, the parents are not there to watch the students, it is necessary that teachers should get involved and be committed in whatever the students are doing. This will help in preventing them from being delinquent.
The teacher’s commitment is related to the behavior of the juvenile including delinquency in school. Public schools can cause delinquency in juveniles if they do not develop counseling program for the students (Welsh, B & Siegel, L 2010). A school is a place where different students came from different backgrounds with different behaviors. Therefore, it is likely for students to influence each other. Public schools that do not have these programs are likely to contribute in leading to delinquency. This is because the student’s behavior cannot be monitored and they cannot also be counseled on what is right and wrong.
Peer rejection in public schools is a factor that can cause or lead to delinquency (Welsh, B & Siegel, L 2010). Students are mostly affected when they are rejected into their peer groups. While in school, juveniles usually want to be associated with others and have friends. Therefore, when they are rejected into the peers groups, it is likely for them to get involved in bad behaviors that will lead to delinquency. Poor school performance is another factor that can lead to delinquency. Juveniles who perform poorly while in school feel unwanted; therefore, they may get involved in certain criminal acts. They tend to involve themselves in this behavior so that they can forget about their poor performance in class.
Associating with delinquent peers is a factor in public schools that can lead to delinquency. Public schools are places where juveniles can associate with other students who have been involved in delinquent behaviors. This is one factor that can lead to delinquency since students get to associate with these students who are delinquents. Students who join schools and make friends with this kind of students have high chances of being delinquent.
III. Change that should be made on the American juvenile justice system
The most essential change that should be made on the American juvenile justice system is ensuring that there is more intervention early without charging of crimes. Kids and families should be brought to the court when the children are splitting from school or when they are not doing well. The juvenile justice system should make an effort and ensure that they encourage groups within individual communities to work with troubled youths and families before getting to middle and high school. The most essential change that is required in the American juvenile justice system is that every juvenile should be treated equally (Taylor, T 2010). When the juveniles come to the court, it is necessary for the social workers to be caring as possible. They should ensure that they monitor the juveniles equally as people from the same culture and race.
The juvenile system should have social workers who are caring. People who will go out there in the community and work with families in order to can correct whatever is happening. The juvenile justice system should ensure that they do not only watch over then minor, but they should also help the parents of the juveniles. The parents should receive training to help the juveniles so that they can change from their delinquent behaviors. Parents should also be encouraged to monitor or supervise their children. This will help in preventing them from being involved in bad behavior. This is a change that the American juvenile justice system should focus on changing so that to help in reducing the number of juvenile delinquencies case in the courts (Taylor, T 2010). This will help in ensuring that the parents monitor the behavior of the children in order to change from the previous situation that they were in before. The juvenile justice system should ensure that they provide the society with whatever services that they require when children are very young. The American juvenile justice system has a lot of resources and money that it should make use of to provide efficient services.
This will help in preventing criminal conducts by juveniles in the society. Most of the juvenile cases that are presented in the courts can be avoided just by providing the juveniles in the society with educations (Taylor, T 2010). They should be taught on the dangers of being involved in criminal acts and this will help in reducing criminal actions. The juvenile system should ensure that they start dealing with problems when they are small. When the system implement this change, it will help in ensuring that most cases are solved in the society; thus, avoiding the cases from reaching the justice system. Providing parents with education will help them in making them be better parents in the juvenile delinquency cases and families become healthier and stronger. When the delinquent behaviors are solved at the origin, it will ensure that it does not happen to a large extent.
The juvenile justice system should also put more emphasis on rehabilitation (Taylor, T 2010). This is one factor that should be put into focus since rehabilitation help in turning kids around. Some systems believe that they are not effective, but rehabilitation is extremely essential in ensuring that the kids are monitored. The juvenile justice system should ensure that they use their opportunity to intervening and making sure that the problems that children and families are facing are avoided.
Reference
Taylor, T (2010). The Juvenile justice system Oxford University Press
Welsh, B & Siegel, L (2010). Juvenile delinquency Cengage Learning
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