Environmental Factors Of Juvenile Delinquency

Children that are born into poverty and less than desirable conditions are more times than not, destined to become involved in the juvenile justice system. This may be due the child’s destructive behaviors or for placement out of concern for the child’s safety and well-being. Neglect and abuse is more prevalent in disadvantaged environments and causes sometimes-irreversible emotional problems. For whatever reason the child enters the system, we know that it is not a place for youth to grow, be nurtured and become productive members of society.

Juvenile delinquency continues to be a problem, a problem that endangers almost every American. Juvenile delinquency has the potential to considerably damage the health and well-being of families and communities. Therefore, there is a clear and urgent need for strategies and scientific study for understanding the nature, extent, and causes of law violations committed by juveniles as well as the construction of methods of control.

The authors, in Preventing Juvenile Delinquency: Early Intervention and Comprehensiveness as Critical Factors., use determine factors of different programs, and to see what works and what does not. In this way, the most successful programs can continue to be implemented and improved. They looked at poor child-rearing practices, poor parental supervision, criminal parents and siblings, low family income, large family size, poor housing, low intelligence, and low educational attainment to determine cause of delinquency behavior in juvenile.

Parental monitoring is vital for an individual’s development because it teaches him/her how to make decisions, learn from right from wrong, and (a benefit) how to not get into trouble with the law. Without that monitoring, s/he has to make decisions and guide themselves. However, s/he can make poor judgements and can potentially land themselves having to deal with the criminal justice system. Ryan conducted a study to measure the relationship between child neglect and recidivism on early adulthood (2013). Recidivism is a concept in which an already convicted criminal has a likelier chance of committing another offense (Ryan, 2013). The relationship showed that those who had a history of neglect were more likely to re-offend (Ryan, 2013). If the individual is living in a household with a heavy dysfunctional relationship with other family members, it can lead to the child to rebel and run away from the home (Hildyard, 2002). Those who suffer from child neglect have a likelihood of running away from home. This relates to the constant rejection received at home, and by not living in that household anymore, can have the individual develop a more juvenile and rebellious behavior. Through the acts of child neglect, an individual is at-risk for developing a more delinquent behavior and can potentially place themselves in more trouble with the

Determining risk factors is essential for establishing programs for youth to keep them from committing crimes that introduce them to the juvenile justice system. Additionally, successful programs can keep youth from re-entering the system for committing further offenses. Statistics show that there is a correlation between juvenile delinquency and the living conditions in which the youth are being raised (http://www.rikidscount.org). The Rhode Island Kids Count website, which provides independent, credible, comprehensive statistical information about Rhode Island's children, identify some risk factors for a youth’s involvement in the juvenile justice system to include cognitive impairments, learning disabilities, abuse or neglect, living in communities with high levels of violence, and having associations with other delinquent youth. (http://www.rikidscount.org). A teen’s social environment is very influential on their behaviors. This environment includes their school life with peers, their social life with friends, and their home life with their families. While parents are the first and arguably the most important influence on children, peers and friends play a large role as well. Substance abuse and lack of moral guidance have been shown to factor into youth displays of delinquent behaviors as well, according to the Criminology Resource Center at Regis University (2016). Children

Many juveniles in America are exposed every day to abuse, neglect, domestic violence, and poverty. These issues are a growing problem, and without successful intervention by a caring guardian these children will often struggle and fall into depression and desperateness. Frequently juveniles do not have the tools to manage the psychological and emotional challenges of adolescence, and they will ultimately engage in destructive or criminal behavior. In most cases the dysfunction that creates this delinquent behavior is ignored, and instead these kids lives are subjected to even further chaos when they are placed in the criminal justice system.

This study is aimed at showing the relationship between neglect and child abuse to influence delinquency for both adolescents and adults. It aims at providing a detailed explanation of the life of a juvenile or adult offender before contact with law enforcement. The study shows that neglect and child abuse plays a key role in influencing delinquency among juveniles which continue in adulthood. It also applies detailed analysis of official records from child protection to come up with factors that accelerate delinquency among abused children. However, the study focuses specifically on neglect after child abuse to influence delinquency. It uses ongoing cases of neglect to determine the future of these children who actually come into contact with law enforcement. The study also controls several aspects of the child such as peer, family, mental health, substance abuse and academic covariates. The study concludes by showing that dependency issues for adolescents play a key role in determining the outcomes of juvenile justice.

Neglect can play a significant role as a social factor in increasing the risk for juvenile delinquency (Ryan, Williams, & Courtney, 2013). Neglect is defined by the United States Department of Health and Human Services as the caregiver’s failure to provide suitable attention and care in spite of sufficient means to do so (USDHHS, 2012). According to a study done by Ryan et al. (2013) in Washington State, maltreatment, whether consistently throughout life or solely during adolescence, elevates the likelihood for an adolescent to develop into a juvenile delinquent. Statewide

Many young people who are at risk of becoming delinquent often live in difficult circumstances, such as poverty, parental alcoholism, abusive conditions, and urban overcrowding. Teens who experience these are at greater risk of falling into juvenile delinquency (World Youth Report 194-95). Crimes, such as theft, are often committed as a result of needs having to be met – food, clothing, shelter, or because teens feel that they need to keep up and have the same luxuries as their peers (Banham Bridges 559). Juvenile delinquency is often thought of as involving only teens from disadvantaged homes, but teens from affluent homes also commit crimes due to lack of parental control or

The number of juveniles committing crimes seems to be decreasing every year, but the numbers are still high and police force can’t seem to figure out what the problem is. Though no one answer can tell people why numbers are going up, researchers are determine to figure out what may be the root of the issue. It has been stated by many studies that the environment a child comes from can determine whether they will become a criminal. There are 3 main categories that have been discussed that researchers believe may affect the way a juvenile acts. These categories are family disruptions, single parent households, and lower class living. All these categories are things that come up in every study done to figure out whether a juvenile is affected

In the United States, juvenile delinquency is becoming a major problem in the communities across the country. Because of the actions that these juveniles engage in on a regular basis, taxpayers across the country are having to shell out hundreds upon thousands of dollars to rehabilitate these children in order to help them make better choices. This leads citizens to wonder what factors actually cause juveniles to live a life of crime rather than success. In short, there are three main factors that often cause children to live a life of crime. These three factors are social influences, psychological characteristics, and academic potential.

Characteristically, juvenile delinquency follows a similar path just like normal adolescent development and children tend to follow delinquent and criminal behavior rather than engaging in it randomly. Research has shown that there are two types of delinquents, those in whom the onset of severe antisocial behavior begins in early childhood, and those in whom this onset coincides with entry into adolescence. With either type, these developmental paths give families, communities, and systems the opportunity to intervene and prevent the onset of antisocial behaviors and justice system involvement (APA, 2017).

Many children become familiar with the Juvenile Justice System without knowledge of why they continue to commit crimes. Many of them suffered years of being abuses, which caused socialization changes that pushed them to withdraw or act out. This research is important because it shows the long terms effects child abuse has on children that become juvenile delinquents. Statistics show increasing numbers of children who are the victims of child abuse and neglect, although they decrease in delinquency may reflect a greater nation focus on the issue and the use of more effective programs to attack the problem. This research is important to me because the Criminal Justice System doesn’t address the causes of deviant behavior in juvenile delinquents to its full potential. They rather just focus on policing and tough sanctions. Hopefully with this paper and many others child abuse can be prevented along with the long-term effects of child abuse and better programs can be invented to treat child abuse victims. The Office of Justice Programs came up with a “Safe Kids Safe Streets” Program, which acknowledge the correlation between child abuse and juvenile delinquency and is aimed at breaking the cycle of early childhood victimization and later delinquency (Safe

Juvenile offending is a major problem in society. Understanding the risk factors that contribute to the increased likelihood of a juvenile to engage in delinquency is important. There are many factors that can influence the increased risk of juvenile delinquency. These factors include poverty, low socioeconomic status, age (Jarjoura, Triplett, & Brinker, 2002), race, gender (Lucero, Barret, & Jensen, 2015), education (Lucero, Barret, & Jensen, 2015; Jarjoura, 1993), and family structure (Anderson, 2002; Kierkus & Hewitt, 2009). It is important to examine if some risk factors can contribute more than others and to what extent they interact with one another. This paper will discuss three important risk factors that contribute to the likelihood of juveniles engaging in deviant acts. The three risk factors discussed are poverty, family structure, and educational attainment. In addition, this paper will demonstrate how these three risk factors interact with one another, resulting in a higher propensity for involvement in juvenile delinquency.

The social environment of teens holds an enormous influence on how the teens act and behave. Teens are easily influenced by their surroundings and they look to others for guidance. Their behavior results from that of the parent and peer influences. Parents play a particularly influential role in their child’s life and it is up to them to make sure that they are leading their sons or daughters in the right directions. A teen’s peers also play a large role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not around. A teen’s social environment, consisting of family and peers, plays a vital role in their life, therefore becoming the ultimate cause of juvenile delinquency.