Causes of Juvenile Delinquency, Essay Example

Juvenile offending can be identified as the involvement in illegal actions by persons under the age of 18 years. Researchers have exposed that in the kindergarten years, early nuisance behaviors such as severe hostility and constant contravention of rules have been associated with later criminal actions (Nakaya, 2005). Depending on the kind and brutality of the transgression devoted, it is possible for people below 18 to be charged and treated as grownups. Young cruelty is currently a common matter and concern in the immoral fairness field. There is an essential need for enhancement in the efficiency of therapy programs for juvenile wrongdoer (Cutamora, 2014). There are set precise procedures for dealing with youthful wrongdoers, such as juvenile incarceration centers and magistrates.

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Youthful crimes can vary from condition offenses such as immature smoking to possessions offenses and aggressive crimes. However, young aberrant can be considered normative teenager activities (Greene, 2013). This is because; most young adults tend to offend by entrusting non-violent offenses, only once or hardly any times, and only during teenage years. Repeated brutal antisocial is likely to lead to afterward and more cruel offenses. When this occurs, the delinquent often displays disruptive behavior even before getting to adolescence stage.

There are two dissimilar types of criminals that appear in teenage years. One is the recur offender, also known as the life-course-persistent criminal. These types of juvenile criminals begin committing crimes in puberty or even babyhood and continue into maturity. The other type is the precise age offenders, who are the adolescence-limited crook, for whom adolescent offending or misbehavior begins and ends at some stage in their period of puberty (Robyn, 2016). Since most young people tend to demonstrate some form of inconsiderate deeds during puberty, it is significant to account for these behaviors in early days to decide whether they will be life-course-persistent criminals or adolescence-limited offenders. Juvenile criminals who are life-course-persistent lawbreakers are sometimes identified with behavior disarrays because they show a constant disrespect for their own and others security and belongings. If the juvenile keep showing the same behavioral prototype and turns eighteen, he is then in jeopardy of being identified with disruptive character disorder and much more likely to become a solemn criminal crook. Some factors force a young person to a felony and which can be intricate at times. To battle criminal actions at the cause, criminology experts often begin by accepting the wide common, opinionated, and environmental aspects that have been revealed to pressure teen wrong behavior (Gifford-Smith, Dodge, Dishion & McCord, 2005).

Family

Family acts as a vast part of the growth of a pubescent both helpful and unhelpful. Adolescents find out what is suitable and not suitable by the immediate surroundings, which is subjugated by the family life (Robyn, 2016). The family is the fundamental socialization group for the kids. Children discover basic ideas about good qualities and bad ones from their family; they make their principles and set the standard of humanity. Family can build or break the character of the children. In a family, the main essential role is played by the parents and the elder siblings. Most of the young people who show offending behavior in any form fit in families that may not give firm establishment to the kids. Wrecked families, solitary parent families, alienated families, recurrent parents fight, lack of dependence and self-assurance among the parents, illegal parents or emotional problems in parents can be the main important causes of juvenile criminal behavior (Gifford-Smith, Dodge, Dishion & McCord, 2005). Another reason can be siblings enmity or uneven treatment among children. Parents and elder siblings have the accountability to mold the qualities of the children. When parents or siblings do not demonstrate ethical behavior or they entrust crime, younger siblings also get inspiration to do the same.

Personal Reasons

Occasionally family has nothing to do with the aberrant behavior of the adolescent, neither does the teachers nor locality. Sometimes there are individual reasons accountable for the delinquent actions. Sometimes the teenagers face adversity in life due to some emotional or corporal problem that they go through (Spohn, 2007). A substantial handicap will go through several troubles in life as the culture does not accept a human being who does not have the comparable capability that a standard person has. Society is often brutal towards a handicap and this uneven and unfair attitude of the general public develops unenthusiastic feelings in the individual. The depressing feelings make them obligated to crime even if they belong to a superior family. Those youngsters who are suffering from some mental or corporeal problem want to take vengeance from society, associates, family or peer group (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). In modern culture, racial dissimilarity is also other reasons following juvenile wrongdoing. Ethnic differences can cause many big offenses by the young people as they become hostile and they want to take vengeance from the society for the lopsided handling.

Substance or Drug Abuse

Substance abuse on its own can influence cognitive growth, lessening a youthful persons shyness and ability to assess danger. It is also a significant provider to transgressions when pooled with other factors. It leads to immoral behavior as youths lose control or become unsafe due these illegal substances impacts on temper, cognitive consideration and character (Barfield-Cottledge, 2005). It may begin as a borrowed anesthetic pill every so often and can develop into a full-blown craving. The easy access to recommendation drugs for non-medical use is astounding. Young people are much more likely to get instructions on drugs at no cost from a friend or family member than buy it from an unfamiliar person and when the source of the medication is gone the teen may revolve to stealing, or engaging in other unlawful activities to continue the dependence.

Peer group pressure

Delinquent behavior in the adolescent can be caused by an unyielding force from peer groups. Boys and girls from same age groups tend to do things not knowing their consequences on the individuals. When a person is rejected from a certain peer group, he/she is likely to indulge in crimes to show his/her superiority (Becroft, 2009). A young person can do anything to get similar resources, and this can be a very powerful motivator in teens life to engage in unlawful behaviors. Occasionally, a boy or girl will entrust a crime since their friends have forced or challenged them to do it. At other times, an adolescent may be envious of a friend who has additional materials and is aggravated to embezzle so he or she can acquire the same acquisitive items (Baglivio & Epps, 2014).

Adolescence can be an excruciating time of rising into oneself and seeking approval from peers and communal groups. Wanting to fit in and be often acknowledged serves as an incentive for teens to give way to peer demands. One of the main demands quoted by young people as the main causes of engaging in risky actions, such as teenager sex, irresponsible driving, alcohol, illegal substances and tobacco-use, crime and gang activity is the pressure from their friends (Outlines Behavior Causes, 2009). Many teens become involved in gang activities not because they like it, but because the deviant behavior committed by one adolescent is transferred to other teens. This leads to the formation of gang groups subsequently forming gang territories in the neighborhoods.

Outside Influences

Other things out of anyone's control or outside influences can lead to juvenile crime. Sometimes the society can push one to illegal behaviors (Greene, 2013). Several external forces can push the youths into leading an awful life. Labeling which means that the society brand a teenager criminal once he consigns a crime. Even if this is their first instance, but due to the classification, the teen will distinguish themselves as an immoral person. Labeling can devastate the qualities of the teenager and make him/her an immoral person forever. They will never feel any awkwardness in obligating crimes and will replicate like offense or other crimes in the coming days.

Insufficient Education

There is a strong correlation shown by criminology statistics regarding undereducated children and juvenile delinquency. Future criminal behavior can be predicted by failure at school from an early age. Poor academic performance, expulsion, and dropout of school can show a high probability of youths committing crimes (Hoge, 2005). Social skills like meeting deadlines, following instructions and being able to deal constructively with peers develop when one leaves school early. Leaving school early leads to increased immorality in the society. The dropout teenagers finally find out that he or she is a shortcoming in the labor force. The feeling of desperation, intensified by the general medias stress on low service statistics and economic crises, can produce a background ripe for infantile offenses.

Mass Media and Technology

Mass media and technology has also contributed significantly to the rise of juvenile crimes (Dimond, 2005). As much as parents are trying to guard their children against unenthusiastic information and non-appropriate media, it is becoming uncontrollable as it is available in the press. Exposure to everything through social media and the internet is enabling teenagers to access information easily. As a result, teenagers can read and view things that are not appropriate for their age. Given that knowledge is carried more or less in the palm of their hands, teenagers frequently encompass an exaggerated sense of sovereignty (Agnew, 2009). They can trigger emotions since they do not understand the true meaning of being independent and are not mature enough to handle themselves. These unrestrained reactions are one of the reasons for youthful criminal behavior.

Conclusion

Teenagers need to be taught and reminded the rules, limits, and expectations in their early age to live a healthy, productive life. Consequences and effects of child crime should be passed on to the young generation to have a morally right society. This includes consistency disciplining of the youths. Parents must be willing to put forth the effort to learn the skills necessary and appropriately apply these skills to produce a non-delinquent child. Most of the issues with youth today stem from a lack of structure, love, and support. These elements should be not only part of a behavioral management program but also the core of families across the nation. A child growing unnoticed close monitoring might grow to be a problematic person in future hence leading to juvenile delinquency. Information and detection of difficult performance early on are vital.

References

Agnew, R. (2009). Juvenile delinquency. New York: Oxford University Press.

Agnew, R., & Brezina, T. (2015). Juvenile delinquency: Causes and control.

Baglivio, M., & Epps, N. (2014). Journal of Juvenile Justice. Journalofjuvjustice.org. Retrieved 16 April 2016, from http://www.journalofjuvjustice.org/JOJJ0302/article01.htm

Barfield-Cottledge, T. (2005). Book Review: Causes of Conduct Disorder and Juvenile Delinquency. Criminal Justice Review, 30(1), 97-99. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0734016805275686

Becroft, A. (2009). What causes youth crime, and what can we do about it? Youth Court. Justice.govt.nz. Retrieved 16 April 2016, from http://www.justice.govt.nz/courts/youth/publications-and-media/speeches/what-causes-...