Responsible for the Crimes of Their Children

“Any form of delinquent behavior is 7.6% points lower among boys living with their biological fathers and is 8.5% points lower among boys who live with stepfathers and have no relationship with their biological fathers” (Cobb-Clark and Tekin, 2013). When it comes to adolescent girls, Cobb-Clark and Tekin (2013) found that if they live with their biological father, they are less likely to be involved in violent behavior, sell drugs and be involved in gangs than adolescent girls without fathers (Cobb-Clark and Tekin, 2013). This is about a 3.6%-point difference between girls with fathers and girls without fathers (Cobb-Clark and Tekin, 2013). In East et al. (2006) research for adolescent girls, it found that if the father left a girl’s life when she was five years old or younger, that child’s rate of teen pregnancy was increased compared to children whose father was absent between the ages of five and thirteen and those whose father was not absent. When adolescent boys were compared to adolescent girls, research done by Cobb-Clark and Tekin ( 2013) showed that adolescent boys engaged in more delinquent behavior than adolescent girls when there is no father figure present. This can carry on into the child’s adult life as

Too many minors have committed violent crimes and haven’t gotten the consequences they deserved. In Time magazine article, “Children without Pity” written by Nancy Traver, it shows how the crime rates are going up and many minors aren’t getting the consequence they need. Given the violence of their actions, minors who commit violent crimes should be tried as adults.

Incidents like abuse from family members, bullying, neglect, and sexual abuse are the most common. Repeated abuse can lead to psychological damage and emotional scarring. Not only are traumatic psychological experiences causing these juveniles to commit violent crimes. Situations, where children have poor education, a household without discipline, peer pressure, inadequate role models, low income, and substance abuse coupled with the wrong environment, can lead to a life of crime. These negative influences guide these juveniles on the wrong path towards crime. However, it does not mean these juveniles cannot succeed; it is however up to the juvenile to make the correct choices in their

There are times juveniles should not be convicted as adults because sometimes the “crimes” may not harsh enough to be charged as an adult. For example, if a 8 year old saw a gun in their mother's purse and thought it was a toy and grabbed it and began to shoot who would be at fault ? Plus children in adult prisons are 10 times more likely to be taken advantage of in their time. Research shows that children prosecuted in the adult criminal justice system are more likely to reoffend than those held in the juvenile justice

The next level is Family level factors. It as been proven that children or youth that

     Lifestyles also play an important part in youth violence. Growing up in a divorced family as well as the way your parents raised you are major aspects that effect youth today. When children go through a divorce they experience tremendous pain and go through a lot of changes in their life.(chapter 9 impact of divorce) They experience behavioral problems, and less academic achievements. Adolescents in this stage can also experience aggression toward their parents as well as their friends and other family members due to the divorce. Every parent had there own parenting styles of raising their kids, however, some ways can lead to corrupt behavior. There are the authoritative parents whose children tend to be moody, aggressive, and have poor communication skills. Then there are the permissive and authoritative parents who are generally caring and sensitive towards their children.(chapter 9 parenting styles) Studies have shown that if you grow up in a family that shows aggression towards one another, then it is more likely that you as a young adult will be aggressive as well. However in recent studies,

The starting point of violence takes place in communities and at home--not at school. Youth take what they hear and see at home and in their communities to school. The environment in some communities and households are positive and the presences of protective factors outweigh the high risk factors. However, there are communities and households where there is a lack of informal social control and high risk factors exist more than protective factors--, which affect youth in a negative manner.

Dr. Garbarino (1999) proposes common factors that are trending when it comes to an increase in violence among young boys, but does not state that such trends are causes of violence. Risk factors, especially in inner-city neighborhoods, such as poor quality of education, low socioeconomic status, limited healthcare options, multiple family residences, lack of a father figure, and high crime may lead an increase in violent nature for male youth. In addition, the book mentions four specific problems that provide a foundation for violence. These four problems include, attachment, abandonment by mother, abandonment by father, and

Today?s legal system states that children between the ages two to six should not be held liable for criminal actions. There are several developmental characteristics that support this claim. These characteristics come from biological, cognitive, and psychosocial areas. For those who are religious, one can also find spiritual support in Scripture that validates young children cannot reason as older children or adults can. Until a child?s brain matures, it is likely that a child may act impulsively and could commit a crime without reasoning beforehand that he or she

"I went through so much with these kids. I'm just ready to call it quits," said Patricia Holdaway, the first parent charged under the curfew law of Roanoke, Virginia. Her 16-year-old son was arrested at 5 a.m. for his fifth curfew violation and for driving without a license. "I just left. It's not her fault. She shouldn't be held responsible. I know right from wrong," replied her son (Leo). So who should be held responsible, the parent or the child ? As cases similar to Patricia's continue to increase, states are starting to hold the parents responsible for the crimes of their children. As a result of this matter, John Leo presented the benefits of

Sometimes the effects are beneficial, for example when an abusive, negligent or violent parent is incarcerated, thus removing the risk of harm from the household. However, sometimes the effects are detrimental, and the child faces mental illness, behavioural problems, failure in school, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and many other problems (Simmons). A child that witnesses the crimes and/or the arrest of their parent might experience flashbacks about their parents crimes or arrests (Simmons). A child might also be bullied in school because his/her child is never present for school events such as family day because he is in prison. Additionally, parental incarceration can result in an increased likelihood that the child will commit offences, either in adolescence or adulthood. According to the Women’s Prison & Home Association, Inc., “Children of offenders are five times more likely than their peers to end up in prison themselves. One in 10 will have been incarcerated before reaching adulthood,” (Simmons). Unfortunately, these negative effects are more prevalent in males. Because it is more likely that a father would be incarcerated, the male child no longer has a male role model and father figure in his life. In both male and female children, the negative effects of parental incarceration results in children engaging in dangerous, illegal activities as a way to cope. These activities include stealing, underage

That being said, the biggest issue within the parent-child relationship in regards to violence is the “normalizing of isolation”. This term addresses parents ignorance towards their child’s actions. For the betterment of society, all parents need to gain a better understanding of their child’s development in order to detect any red flags that may persist within their youth. These red flags are anything that could lead the parent to believe that their child is leading down the path of being antisocial, because there has been a strong correlation in that many mass shooters in the past have suffered from being antisocial. If a child does not develop a strong and social relationship with their parents it can eventually lead them to having a tougher time responding to certain circumstances they will eventually face when they grow older, as they will be obligated to make decisions for themselves. “The mother's strong affectionate attachment to her child is the child's best buffer against a life of crime.” (Fagan). Obviously, it is difficult to recognize or predict which people will commit an act of mass violence in the future, but there are definitely many ways parents could prevent their children from potentially being the ones to do so.

According to the United States department of Justice, Over sixty percent of American children are exposed to a type of violence every year (Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., Ormrod, R., Hamby, S., and Kracke, K. 2009). These forms of violence can be perpetrated by a victims home, community or school, with majority of children knowing the perpetrator(s). These experiences with violence whether primary or secondary, can cause serious psychological trauma to a child and in worst case scenarios death. The 2009 survey by the Department of Justice also found that children exposed to any form of violence were more likely to engage in violence in the future and almost forty percent of these children were exposed to multiple acts of violence ( pg.2). The

Everyday we are hearing more and more about a child or teen that has committed some horrible act. On Tuesday April 27, 2004 a twelve-year-old Georgia boy was arrested for allegedly using “his hands to strangle a third grader who disappeared while riding her bicycle”(McLaughlin, 2004). In February, a twelve-year-old girl was beaten to unconsciousness by a group of adolescents and young adults while at a birthday party in Baltimore. The question we must ask ourselves is where are the parents? Sadly, in the case of the Baltimore girl, one of the young adults was the parent of one of the children. How do children learn that violent and socially deviant behavior is acceptable? Both of these scenarios

grew by 86% from 1988 to 1992, which was more then any other type of juvenile