The Effects of Education on Juvenile Crime - Research Proposal Example

JUST 348, Fall 2017

Northeastern Illinois University

Chapter 1: Problem statement

The main focus of this paper is to evaluate the effect of education on juvenile crime. The nature of juvenile crime is quite different from adult crime. Research shows that children who get a chance to attend school at an early age are less likely to be involved in juvenile crime. Education therefore plays a pivotal role in protecting children from being exposed to crime. The research will help evaluate the effectiveness of the current education system and the level to which is has been able to prevent children from joining crime. Based on the findings made, recommendations will be made on ways which education can be used to reduce juvenile crime. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the effectiveness of education in reducing juvenile crime.

Area of study

The research seeks to investigate the effect of education in juvenile crime. The purpose is to determine whether education reduces the chances of children being involved in crime. For this to be accomplished, past studies by different authors will be reviewed to evaluate their views on the relationship between education and juvenile crimes. A quantitative study will also be conducted to determine the relationship between juvenile crimes and education. Data from police records will be used to record the number of juvenile crimes. Records of children between the age of 6 and 18 will be obtained from some pre-selected institutions to determine the rate and causes of juvenile crimes. Juvenile crime is a prevalent problem in many societies. As Saminsky (2010) indicates, children are the future of a community. Failure to nurture them at an early age could be catastrophic. The study will help develop strategies to reduce juvenile crime. The study is different from previous researches as it takes a more holistic approach. It incorporates past literature and current studies to determine the effect of education on juvenile crime. Besides presenting the findings made, the research also makes recommendations on ways through which education can be used to reduce juvenile crime.

Definition of Terms

• Cognitive development: The growth of thought construction and decision making from childhood to adulthood.
• Psychosocial development: The acquisition of social attitudes and skills from infancy to adulthood
• Temperament: The characteristic behavior of a person
• Incapacitation: Prevention of a criminal from performing any further crimes
• Juvenile delinquency: The habit of committing crime by children below the legally prosecutable age
• Truancy: The act of staying away from school for no particular reason

Paradigm and Assumptions

Juvenile delinquency is a common problem in the society. The manifestation of this problem has been closely linked with poor education backgrounds among children and other issues. In this study, the term ‘children’ refers to minors below the age of eighteen. Therefore, a juvenile is a law offender below the age of eighteen. Lochner (2014) indicated that juvenile crime cannot be attributed to a single factor. It is rather caused by a myriad of society related causative factors. Among the main factors that contribute to the development of juveniles include conflict in families, poor education, violence in homes, parental drinking and smoking habits, child abuse, among others.

Saminsky (2010) stated that juvenile crime tends to have a negative effect on a child’s growth. Confinement to rehabilitation centers deprives them of their freedom to grow normally like other children in the society. The study explores literature from different researchers and their findings on juvenile crime. From the findings, recommendations will be made on the most appropriate way of dealing with juvenile crime. It is assumed that education does not just include the dissemination of skills by teachers. It is a continuous process that involves the entire society. Juvenile behavior could be normal while growing up, but it could also be a sign of worse behavior in the future.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Experts in childhood education have indicated that some of the main indicators of chronic delinquency among children include poor achievement in academics, poor verbal capacity and a small capacity in vocabulary (National Research Council, 2001). Education, therefore, comes in to ensure that there is a wholesome development of the children both physically and cognitively. According to Saminsky (2010), cognitive functions among children help to improve their reason and decision making. As a result, they are more capable of making informed decisions after making proper assessments of the situations at hand.

History

Lack of proper early education and involvement in crime are primarily social issues Poor early education influences children’s behaviors and hence involvement in crime. Harmon, Heckman and Tremblay (2009) in their research stated that there is need for the society to invest in systems that provides education opportunities to all children regardless of their backgrounds. Such a move is most likely to improve their fortunes in life keeping them away from crime. According to Farrington (1986), the underlying determinants of juvenile delinquency are exhibited at a young age. Involvement in juvenile crime is just the peak of an underlying problem. Grogger (1995) indicated that lack of proper early education exposes children to a life of hardships and contributes to early criminal activities. Among the main contributors of poor early education are school disruptions, poverty, truancy, and absenteeism. Anderson (2012) estimated that the U.S spent approximately $ 1.2 billion each year to rehabilitate juveniles.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has always insisted that education is one of the most effective tools in reducing poverty and inequality in the society. It has been suggested that countries that are yet to make education accessible to all children develop a skill based education system to alleviate poverty. In a research by Lochner (2014), it emerged that premature abandonment of school is one of the leading causes of poverty and hopelessness in the society. Poverty is one of the main reasons why teenagers engage in crime. It is therefore important to ensure that children remain in school in order to prevent juvenile crime. Moreover, when children with a poor education background are exposed to drugs and violence, the results can be disastrous.

In a research on the psychological effects of education on children, Rettew (2013) indicated that children with a good education background have a better temperament control. Education plays a major role in the cognitive and psychosocial development of a child. In its absence, children may never learn to control their emotions. Psychologically unstable children tend to have temperament control issues and have a high likelihood of hurting others (Agnew, & Brezina, 2001). The task of ensuring that children attend school from an early age should not just be left to the parents. It should be a joint initiative with the teachers, peers, the government and the entire society. An example of such an initiative is the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP) which aims at ensuring that all eligible children start school at elementary school onwards.

Major causes of juvenile crimes

Some of the major contributors of juvenile crimes include insufficient education, drug abuse, poverty, peer pressure, unstable families and exposure of children to violence. In a recent survey that was conducted among 1500 children from the inner city in Chicago, results indicated that children who had a chance to attend a high-quality preschool had a 28% less chance of being involved in crime (Lochner, 2014). They had a 22% chance of not being arrested for a felony and also a 24% chance of completing a college education. In many parts of the globe, public education is usually poorly organized with highly crowded school and poor education. As many social scientists have indicated, poor quality education is a pipeline to prison. Children who poor poorly in class and have an abysmal attendance are more likely to be involved in crime as compared to the disciplined children. A poorly performing child will eventually conclude that he is hopeless in life and that he will always be disadvantaged in life (Agnew, & Brezina, 2001). As a result, they will result in crime at a very young age.

Peer pressure also contributes in a major way towards juvenile crimes. In another study conducted among 1000 teenagers, it emerged that more than 90% of those who committed crime indicated that they had resulted to doing so as a result of peer pressure (Hjalmarsson, & Lochner, 2012). Many young people have cited peer pressure as the main reason as to why they result in criminal activities. In areas such as the Inner City in Chicago, peer pressure and gang mentality have been identified as the main reason why young people engaged in illegal activities such as teen sex, drunk driving, theft, among others. Drug and substance abuse also contributes in a major way towards juvenile crimes. Drugs affect the cognitive development of children thereby inhibiting their reason and decision making (Leventhal, & Brooks-Gunn, 2000). As a result, school going children are likely to engage in truancy and absenteeism. Teenagers who abuse prescription drugs are more likely to appear drunk and unstable. The result is that it affects their decision making and has less ability to make informed decisions.

Studies have also shown that children who come from unstable families are more likely to engage in criminal activities at an early age. Experts in childhood development have indicated that broken families distort the psychological development of a child (Luallen, 2006). As a result, he is likely to feel unappreciated and unloved. In the quest to look for appreciation, they fall into the life of crime at a very young age. Children from unstable families may also lack proper role models whom they can look up to. They are therefore highly vulnerable to negative external influences.

Role of education in preventing juvenile crime

Education is not just limited to the school environment, but it also extends to homes and the society. It is education that helps to mold young people in responsible teenagers and adults. With this in mind, children who attend quality schools from an early age are more likely to be disciplined as compared to those who attend public schools. According to Machin, Marie, & Vujić, (2012), education goes beyond teaching news skills to children. It also includes the dissemination of discipline and teaching children on being obedient to the law. If children can learn from an early age on what is considered to be legal and illegal, they can be in a better position to make informed decisions. Disciplined children are less likely to engage in crime.

Schools offer children with a safe environment where they can interact with each other with very minimal negative influence from the outside world. The things that the children are exposed to are closely monitored, and as a result, it becomes much easier to guarantee that the children will be exposed to negative pressure (Belfield, & Levin, 2009). Children who attend school regularly will be less likely to be exposed to negative influences such as drug abuse, negative peer pressure, and criminal gangs.

A study conducted in 2008 under a program called Fight Crime: Invest in Kids indicated that if there was a 10% increase in the number of students who graduated college in the District of Columbia, this would translate to the prevention of 34 possible murders and about 917 serious crimes of assault (Soifer, 2010). Education helps to give hope to young people, thereby challenging them to work hard. Studies have shown that children who attend school have better reasoning and cognitive abilities as compared to those who lack education.

Current Research

Most of the previous researches have primarily focused on the involvement of adults in crime. They look at criminals as individuals who have developed to become societal misfits. They fail to go beyond the criminal acts and trace the source of the behavior. To break this barrier, attempts to draw a parallelism between poor early education background and juvenile crime. According to Lochner (2014), several researchers have attempted to assess the impact of compulsory education on juvenile crime. Hjalmarsson, & Lochner, (2012) in their study made it clear that lack of adequate early education interferes with a child’s decision making. Such children have problems interacting with their peers.

Many studies suggest that drug abuse, early school dropout, and truancy contribute to juvenile crime (Luallen, 2006). However, the statistical significance of this assertion does not hold much. There is very little to show that truant children end up engaging in crime. A study by Landersø, Nielsen and Simonsen (2013) sought to explore the relationship between early school and criminal behavior. The study reveals that children who start school at an early age are less likely to be involved in crime before the age of 18. Incapacitation of education denies children an opportunity to grow and improve their judgment skills. In another study, Machin, Marie, & Vujić, (2012), indicated that education does not just involve teaching new skills to children. It also includes also behavioral learning which involves adherence to the law and protection of from negative influence (Hjalmarsson, & Lochner, 2012). Schools provide children with a safe environment where they can interact with knowledge, their teachers, and peers with very minimal negative influence.

Saminsky (2010) investigated the relationship between school entry age and juvenile crime. The study showed that children who start school at a higher cut off age are more likely to drop out prematurely. The likelihood of such students engaging in criminal activities is quite high (Leventhal, & Brooks-Gunn, 2000). The study showed that girls are more likely to drop out of school than boys if they joined school above the cut off age. Belfield, & Levin (2009) and Kirk and Samson (2013) in separate studies examined the relationship between high school graduation and the juvenile crime. The study was based in Chicago Public Schools for children between the age of 12 and 15. The results showed that students who complete school have a 22% chance on not being involved in crime as compared to their counterparts who do not graduate. Luallen (2006) used data on the rate of arrest of juveniles to determine the effect of education on juvenile delinquency. He concluded that children who are more active in high school and participate in various school activities have a much lower likelihood of being arrested.

The studies that analyze the effect of education on juvenile crimes are scarce. Even though there is literature examining the effect of compulsory basic education on children behavior, gaps still exist on the role of education in reducing crime among children. Lochner (2010) in a review indicted that the current literature on the role effect of education on crime generally considers particular ethnic groups in the society, or adults.

Chapter 3: Methodology

Research questions and hypothesis

• Quantitative Research

The research questions that will guide the project include: What is the effect of education on crime in juveniles? What are the major causes of crime among juveniles? What is the role of education in reducing juvenile crimes? What measures can be put to reduce juvenile crime?

• Qualitative Research

The main question that needs to be answered in the research is whether education helps to reduce juvenile crime. The objective of the study will be to determine the impact of education on juvenile crime.

Research Design

In order to collect historical and current information on the effects of education on juvenile crime, a systematic literature review will be conducted. Most of the literature materials will be obtained from the internet. In the interne searches, different combinations of keywords will be keyed in as follows: a) Education, early school out, truancy, poor academics b) Children, juveniles, young crime, c) violence, drug abuse, risky behavior, d) low IQ, cognitive development, temperament. The literature materials will be searched in various electronic databases such as Google Scholar, Elsevier, Science Direct, Sage, JSTOR, Wiley Online, Springer, and Social Science Network. The quality of the information in these sources will be evaluated before a source can be used. Statistical information will also be collected from the available police records on crime and the department of social services on the variation in the number of juveniles over the last 10 years. Only factual and verified information will be used in the research.

Sample

Cluster sampling technique will be applied in the analysis. It will be used to separate the school and non-school going children between the age of 6 and 8 from the rest of the population. These children will be found in learning ranging from primary school, high school and junior college. Another section of the population will be children between the age of 10 and 18 who are already in juvenile Data on these children will be obtained from police records. The children to be used in the study will be obtained from some pre-selected schools. This will be done with permission from the management. Permission to access the children’s records will also be sought from the school’s management.

Measures

The variables to be measured will be the number of children who join school at the lowest level and complete successfully. The study will be based on a comparison of the number of students who join school at an early age, those who drop out due to crime and those who complete school successfully. Information on the reasons for dropping out from school will also be incorporated into the study. Police records will be used to identify the number of children who have been involved in crime. The records will also background profiles on the age and particulars of the committed crimes.

The variables that will be operationalized are the number of juveniles that drop out of school and join crime. These are the individuals who form the basis of the research. If the data collected shows that there is a high number of students who fail to complete school and end up in crime, then the hypothesis that poor education backgrounds are major contributors of juvenile crime will be proved to be true. The reliability and validity of the study will be assessed by comparing the results obtained against the other studies that have been conducted on the same topic

Data collection procedures

Assumptions will be made that the population is heterogeneous such it is comprised of children from different backgrounds, cultures, and ages. Two different studies will be conducted. First, in a sample of 200 children, analysis will be conducted to determine the effect of education on juvenile delinquency. The second part of the research involves a review of the existing records from the police and social organizations. The records will show the existing trends in the number of juvenile crimes. Permission to interview and analyze data on the school going children will be sought from the school authorities with a guarantee that their identity will remain anonymous.

Timelines

The research is based on longitudinal studies conducted over the last 20-30 years on juvenile crime. Collection of the relevant data from various sources is expected to take a period of one month. The analysis and preparation of the final report should be completed within an extra one month.

Limitations

Possible limitations to the study include difficulties in verifying the credibility of some of the data, limited access to various online libraries and databases, inadequate research time, denial of access to police records, and also inadequate data for the research. These challenges are likely to impact the outcome of the research. For instance the use of sources with wrong information could lead to false results. To minimize the impact of the limitations, complementary methods will be employed in the study. Such methods include the analysis of the quality of the journals and verifying their authenticity against their sources. Those whose origin cannot be authenticated should be rejected. Conducting and generalizing the study may not produce results that are authentic. The research may be very shallow with no substance and meaning.

Saminsky (2010) stated that juvenile crime tends to have a negative effect on a child’s growth. Confinement to rehabilitation centers deprives them of their freedom to grow normally like other children in the society. The study explores literature from different researchers and their findings on juvenile crime. From the findings, recommendations will be made on the most appropriate way of dealing with juvenile crime. It is assumed that education does not just include the dissemination of skills by teachers. It is a continuous process that involves the entire society. Juvenile behavior could be normal while growing up, but it could also be a sign of worse behavior in the future.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

Experts in childhood education have indicated that some of the main indicators of chronic delinquency among children include poor achievement in academics, poor verbal capacity and a small capacity in vocabulary (National Research Council, 2001). Education, therefore, comes in to ensure that there is a wholesome development of the children both physically and cognitively. According to Saminsky (2010), cognitive functions among children help to improve their reason and decision making. As a result, they are more capable of making informed decisions after making proper assessments of the situations at hand.

History

Lack of proper early education and involvement in crime are primarily social issues Poor early education influences children’s behaviors and hence involvement in crime. Harmon, Heckman and Tremblay (2009) in their research stated that there is need for the society to invest in systems that provides education opportunities to all children regardless of their backgrounds. Such a move is most likely to improve their fortunes in life keeping them away from crime. According to Farrington (1986), the underlying determinants of juvenile delinquency are exhibited at a young age. Involvement in juvenile crime is just the peak of an underlying problem. Grogger (1995) indicated that lack of proper early education exposes children to a life of hardships and contributes to early criminal activities. Among the main contributors of poor early education are school disruptions, poverty, truancy, and absenteeism. Anderson (2012) estimated that the U.S spent approximately $ 1.2 billion each year to rehabilitate juveniles.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has always insisted that education is one of the most effective tools in reducing poverty and inequality in the society. It has been suggested that countries that are yet to make education accessible to all children develop a skill based education system to alleviate poverty. In a research by Lochner (2014), it emerged that premature abandonment of school is one of the leading causes of poverty and hopelessness in the society. Poverty is one of the main reasons why teenagers engage in crime. It is therefore important to ensure that children remain in school in order to prevent juvenile crime. Moreover, when children with a poor education background are exposed to drugs and violence, the results can be disastrous.

In a research on the psychological effects of education on children, Rettew (2013) indicated that children with a good education background have a better temperament control. Education plays a major role in the cognitive and psychosocial development of a child. In its absence, children may never learn to control their emotions. Psychologically unstable children tend to have temperament control issues and have a high likelihood of hurting others (Agnew, & Brezina, 2001). Read More