Teenage Violence in the USA - Essay Example

Teenage Violence in the U.S. The future of America lies within the hands of today’s youngsters, but there are some serious concerns regarding where these youngsters might take us. To understand the extent to which the current acceptance of juvenile delinquency might affect the future of the nation, it is necessary to understand the factors that contribute to these alarming numbers. These include such lifestyle trends as the decaying family structure, children growing up in impoverished conditions and the rise of the gang as surrogate family and employer. Only when these factors are understood and their impact realized can effective change be implemented in an attempt to counteract the corrosive long-term results not only for the individuals involved, but for the greater society as well (Straus & Gelles, 1990, p. 97). One of the most difficult factors to control contributing to the delinquency of minors is the effects suffered as a result of domestic violence. Incidences of domestic violence, a growing problem in the U.S., affect the emotional, cognitive, and behavioral development of children, produces disharmony in the family unit and instigates harmful lifetime problems for all concerned. Children of pre-adolescent age, unlike younger children, typically have greater ability to verbalize negative sentiments. Victims within this age group, in addition to symptoms commonly associated with anxiety such as nightmares and sleeping and eating disorders, may exhibit a low self esteem. Pre-teens of abusive situations have an increased propensity for temper tantrums, are often involved in fighting, abusing animals and acting in threatening manners. This violent behavior mirrors what they see at home and is an attempt to gain attention. Teenagers of abusive house-holds are at much greater risk than those who are not to drop-out of school and abuse drugs. Research has suggested that a history of family violence is the most noteworthy reason that separates antisocial and ‘normal’ youths. According to a study report authored by Dr. Terence P. Thornberry, children with histories of violence in their families report a 24 percent increase in the level of violent behavior they participate in as compared with their peers living in non-violent homes. “Other analyses of these data indicate that maltreatment is also a significant risk factor for official delinquency and other forms of self-reported delinquency; for the prevalence and frequency of delinquency; and for all these indicators when gender, race/ethnicity, family structure; and social class are held constant” (Thornberry, 1994). In addition to living in abusive situations, there are several other early factors that can predispose children to become juvenile offenders. Children facing more than two of these risk factors have been shown to have a significantly higher risk of participation in adolescent violence and criminal behavior. Poverty is one of the more significant of these factors. According to studies conducted by the Children’s Defense Fund, approximately one fifth of all children aged 18 and under live beneath the poverty line in American cities. “Poor neighborhoods, especially ‘inner-city war zones’, generally have relatively high crime rates, unsatisfactory schools and unhealthy living conditions. They provide a child with few resources, negatively affect development and increase the chances a child will become violent” (“Pathways to Youth Violence”, 2000, p. 15). Inner city war zones, which have developed in many of the nation’s small to medium-sized cities as well as the larger urban areas of major cities, are described as those areas in which every child over the age of 14 has attended the funeral of at least one playmate who was killed through unnatural causes and where two-thirds of the children have witnessed at least one shooting (Garbarino, 1999, p. 40). Because individuals living in these poor neighborhoods are frequently ostracized from the greater society through their inability to afford the types of material goods or education that would provide them with the means to escape, many of these children grow up under an umbrella of resentment, anger and open disrespect of the rules and regulations of this greater society that has rejected them. This makes it easier for them to justify their own behaviors that are considered deviant as they are simply doing what they deem necessary in order to give themselves the chances they were never provided elsewhere. This perception of rejection by the larger society also implants an attitude of hopelessness and despair in children who are already suffering from other adverse conditions, giving them the impression that life will always be this difficult, painful, empty and lonely. Rather than being encouraged to find the education and professions that would provide them with a brighter future, these children find it easier to find ways of manipulating or otherwise working against the existing system to take what they need. Instead of giving back to society for having received nothing, they choose to take from the system by whatever means necessary (Miller, 1992, p. 2). Impoverished conditions can also severely decrease the level of family cohesion and educational achievements. Parents in these conditions frequently spend long hours at work trying to earn the money necessary to break out of the cycle, yet are eternally frustrated in their efforts to advance thanks to their own lack of educational or career advancement opportunities. Children are left to fend for themselves in the violent streets of their neighborhoods or are placed in childcare centers that have been largely deemed inadequate in terms of quality of care and in introducing developmentally appropriate education for their small students. As early as possible, these children are removed from childcare as a means of reducing household expenses. Homes in these neighborhoods are often severely lacking in appropriately stimulating activities, leaving many children to lock themselves up inside their homes for lonely afternoons spent idly staring at a television screen for their only company and entertainment, at the same time instilling in them a strong desire to break out of their dark environments to find excitement and adventure. For many, the only place this is available is in the street itself, where they then come into contact with the social unit that confirms their perceived placement in society as a leech rather than a contributing member. Youth gangs, along with the problems associated with them, are growing in many American cities. By the time they have reached their adolescent years, children experiencing family violence, poverty, and other risk factors find themselves joining gangs as one of the few options they see available to them. Children growing up in substandard neighborhoods often perceive that the only protection they have from gang activity is by joining one, an instinctual decision based on self-preservation. Growing up with several of the risk factors already identified creates not only a need to find a sense of safety and security that has thus far not been experienced in the home, but also a need for acceptance and sense of belonging that has also not been provided. The social relationships of gangs provide teenagers with the means of meeting some of these needs in a substandard, but still better than what was previously offered, manner. In addition, young teenagers are actively recruited or intimidated into joining gangs and have little choice of options to escape these forces. “A few [teens] are virtually born into gangs as a result of neighborhood traditions and their parents’ earlier and perhaps continuing gang participation or involvement in criminal activity” (Moore, 1978, p. 19). Children typically join a gang young, often when they are only 12 or 13 years old. Although the demographics of gang members remain somewhat skewed toward the male gender, a number of girls have opted for membership in the gangs as well (Curry & Decker, 1998, p. 37). The switch from a production economy to a consumption economy has left a vast number of the populace on the have-nots side of the fence, contributing to the feelings of inadequacy among those who live in impoverished areas and exclusionist perceptions among the elite, including the politicians. The result of this switch has been a rash of public policy that works to support and secure the wealthy while providing little help or incentive for the unskilled worker that is unqualified to meet the new service oriented employment positions (Bourdieu, 1998, p. 31). Rather than choosing to starve on unskilled labor wages, typically at or below the minimum wage through such short-cuts as contract work and temporary employment, many gang members are choosing to remain members as a permanent lifestyle choice, effectively making the gang itself a major ghetto employer and the process of climbing the company ladder one of increasingly violent, dangerous and/or illegal activities (Hagedom, 2001, p. 157). Youngsters coming into this gang atmosphere see the success and prestige of their older members and are encouraged to follow in this same path as an alternative to the impoverished and isolated form of existence they experienced with their parents and their parents experienced all their lives. Participation in gangs also provides a great number of individuals with the education and ability for tremendous violence within the community if they so choose. Examples of this include Yasser Arafat, who reportedly learned his guerrilla warfare techniques as a street gang member when he was a boy in Cairo in the 1940s (Hobsbawm, 1969, p. 40). Even prisons, designed to reduce the amount of crime and violence on American streets, are doing their part to increase the growth and spread of the modern gang. Individuals arrested and sent to prison are provided with a convenient gathering place for others who share their interests, leading to the formation of gangs both within and without the prison system, as these members are released back into general society. America’s War on Terror agenda, with its zero tolerance policy and mandatory minimum sentencing that requires prison time spent rather than any form of alternative rehabilitation efforts, has only exacerbated the problem. Through this system, young members of the community are introduced to the elements of society most likely to entice them into gang membership on their first offense when alternative methods of intervention might have worked to persuade the youth to follow a more beneficial path. The trends are clear to see as juvenile delinquency evolves into its modern and future forms. Children are no longer waiting until they’ve reached adulthood to commit their strongest crimes. They carry guns to school and exact revenge upon those they feel have wronged them with the slightest provocation. Although Columbine made front page news across the country, similar shootings in other schools have gained newspaper attention only when the newspaper is the hometown edition. This behavior is tracked into the working world as employees who have suffered too much humiliation or not received the raise or promotion they wanted suddenly show up to work with guns of their own, shooting just as indiscriminately as the kids in an effort to purge their anger. Children struggling through this confusing mix of influences are less likely to obtain sufficient high school education to progress to college, or even to believe college is a viable option for them. Instead, they remain trained only for the lowest earning occupations available and must compete with an ever-increasing pool of workers for an ever-shrinking pool of available positions. The increasing numbers of juvenile delinquents results in a reduction of available college-trained graduates ready to step into the necessary service and other roles that will need to be filled as the older generations move toward retirement. This occurs even as the number of adults incarcerated in the nation’s prison system rises, creating a further drain on the nation’s resources. As it becomes impossible for the tax base to continue supporting the incarceration of these criminals and as the criminals become more and more adept at circumventing the law, the shift becomes one of an anarchic society in which the prevalent gangs of a given region, operating outside of the authority of the state, usurp the state’s authority. The future of America is indeed bleak if nothing is done to help turn the growth of the crime-oriented gang into a more positive influence on the community. Given little hope, little love, little acceptance and little opportunity, children experiencing significant risk factors such as family violence, poverty and alienation from the rest of society frequently can find no other options to fulfilling their basic human needs than joining the inner-city gangs. Because of the prevalence of these types of conditions, the gang phenomenon has now spread through the large cities out to the suburbs and even into rural areas. Studies have indicated that children experiencing two or more risk factors are at least twice as likely to participate in violent behavior, so the most logical approach to reducing violent crime would seem to be in efforts to intervene in these types of situations. The inherent need of children and adolescents to be included as valued members of society, as evidenced in their intense concentration on creating bonds with their communities, can be used to help lead them into more productive fields that will not only benefit them as individuals, but can work to benefit society as a whole as well. While they work to create these bonds and better their own living situations, intervention techniques that provide them with adequate primary education can be followed up with information about how they can obtain secondary education, giving them both hope for a better future out of the ghetto as well as the sense of importance and value they crave following their negative childhood experiences. At the same time, these types of efforts can lead to the education and training of tomorrow’s needed professionals. Works Cited Bourdieu, P. Acts of Resistance: Against the Tyranny of the Market. New York: New Press. (1998). Curry, G.D. & Decker, S.H. (1998). Confronting Gangs: Crime and Community. Los Angeles, CA: Roxbury. (1998). Garbarino, James. Lost Boys: Why our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them. New York: The Free Press. (1999). Hagedorn, J.M. “Gangs and the Informal Economy.” Gangs in America III. R. Huff (Ed.). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage. (2001). Hobsbawm, E. Bandits. New York: Pantheon. (1969). Miller, W.B. Crime by Youth Gangs and Groups in the United States. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCJ 156221. (1992, Revised from 1982). Moore, J.W. Homeboys: Gangs, Drugs and Prison in the Barrios of Los Angeles. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. (1978). Straus, M.A. & Gelles, R.J. Physical Violence in American Families. New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, pp. 95-112. (1990). Thornberry, Terence P. “Violent Families and Youth Violence.” Albany, New York: School of Criminal Justice, State University of New York at Albany. (December 1994). November 17, 2007 < http://www.ncjrs.gov/txtfiles/fs-9421.txt.> “The Pathways to Youth Violence: How Child Maltreatment and Other Risk Factors Lead Children to Chronically Aggressive Behavior.” (September 2000). Understanding Adolescents: A Juvenile Court-Training Curriculum. Washington, D.C.: National Juvenile Defender Center. Read More