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Poverty and a Lack of Education are Fueling Juvenile Crime A 6 page essay arguing that juvenile crime is directly related to poverty and poor education.

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Poverty and a Lack of Education are Fueling Juvenile Crime

In the early 1960's, the epidemic of juvenile crime began to take shape. The problem of juvenile crime is becoming an increasingly pressing matter in America. Anyone who watches the news on television or reads the newspapers is well aware of the urgency and intensity of America's juvenile crime problem. Effectively establishing the causes of juvenile crime may help to deter it in the future. A proper solution cannot be executed until the root causes and reasons are exposed. There are undoubtedly many factors contributing to juvenile crime, but the focus should be on those which contribute the most.

The two factors which come most readily to mind are the extremes of poverty and …show more content…

Therefore, if the juvenile wishes to make something of himself he will naturally find means available to him. By becoming a low level drug dealer he can make a considerable amount of money in a relatively small amount of time. It becomes even more profitable to be a drug dealer in a gang because of the protection a gang can offer. The money, on top of the prestige and respect drug dealers have in poor communities, makes the experience quite rewarding. This is why younger individuals are attracted to the criminal lifestyle.

In the criminal sub-culture violence is not only condoned but encouraged. The methods and details involved are often learned from a parent or older sibling. Because the juveniles parents are poor and undereducated, they are more likely to be engaged in criminal and deviant activity themselves. The children grow up watching their parents struggle to survive and live a criminal lifestyle. The adults, frustrated by their hopeless situation, frequently turn to drugs and alcohol which affects how they deal with their children. The frustration and anger that a juvenile experiences in such a family can easily pour over into other areas of their social life in the form of violence.

The limited availability of resources in poor neighborhoods creates both social isolation and economic stress on families. Parents who have limited problem solving skills, poor

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