External Influences on Juvenile Delinquency - Research Paper Example

External Influences on Juvenile Delinquency Criminal Justice Table of Content ..............................................3 Introduction …....................................4 Trends ….............................................6 Application ….....................................7 Predictions …......................................8 Conclusion …......................................9 References …......................................10 Abstract This paper examines the main causes of juvenile delinquency. It evaluates the main externalities that lead to crime amongst younger people in the society. It also examines the role of parents and the family in preventing children from committing crimes from a Christian. The paper provides an exegesis on the trends in under-age crimes in America and makes some predictions about the future of juvenile delinquency. Introduction “Juvenile delinquency is defined as anti-social or criminal acts performed by an individual under the age of 18” (Cliff, 2010 p48). Any offense or social deviant behavior that is carried out by a person who is below the age 18 can be classified as juvenile delinquency. Due to the fact that younger people are under the age of reasonable consent, they are subject to special criminal justice procedures (Hunt, 2004 p29). One of the objectives for the segregation of juvenile cases from mainstream cases is to prevent under-aged offenders from getting involved in a vicious cycle of offending (Hunt, 2004 p30). Juvenile offenses are not isolated incidents. They come up as a result of numerous variables and elements that interact in a very complicated manner (Cliff, 2010 p3). Siegel & Welsh identify that they can be traced to the upbringing of a child and his or her relationship with his family (2010 p121). The family is the first point of socialization for every human being. Thus every juvenile offenders action is somewhat affected by the actions and inactions of part or all of his family members. Since parents have a primary obligation under the law and religious codes, they bear the greatest responsibility to train up their children to stay away from disorderly behavior. The Bible says that “Train up a child the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). This means that parents need to set aside sufficient time and resources to train their children and ensure that they remain compliant with the dominant norms and expectations of the society they live in. Ephesians 6:4 places the obligation for the training of children squarely on fathers. It says that “Fathers do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instructions of the Lord”. This means that fathers have a duty to raise their children in an appropriate manner and fashion. Although the Bible hardly mention mothers, it is their natural obligation since mothers seem to have an inherent inclination to spend more time with children and also try their best to improve the lives and circumstances of their children. However, in spite of the efforts that most parents put into the training and development of their children, there are some external influences that makes it difficult for children to remain compliant with orderly behavior requirements. Siegel & Welsh use the developmental theory to explain how these externalities work. (2010 p120). This is expressed in the fact that peoples activities are influenced by early and late onset of communality factors in criminal behavior. The relationship of people with some components of the society prompts the onset and continuity of criminal actions (Siegel & Walsh, 2010 p120). On the other hand, the latent theory of juvenile behavior suggests that some people have unique personality traits and genetic make-ups that might push them unduly towards crime (Siegel & Welsh, 2010 p121). Although this point might carry some weight, the external influences in the environment incite criminal behavior in young people (Cliff, 2010 p22). Bishop (2009 p97) identifies that the biggest external influence on young people is the peer group. “In the transition from family of origin to independent adult lives, adolescents spend most of their time with their peers” (Bishop 2009 p96). This means that young adults have a strong tendency to move along the lines of their peers. This is because as a person moves from his family into the real world, there are circumstances that would cause such a person to spend more time in school or at the workplace. In such situations, teenagers are vulnerable to what other people might say or recommend to them. This causes some of them to end up doing the wrong things. To prevent this situation, the solution that the Bible recommends is that “Only be careful to watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things that your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children after you.” Deuteronomy 4:9. This portion refers to the fact that parents have to teach their children principles of the Laws of God in a highly proactive manner that their children will always remember them even when they are independent and are living alone without the protection of their parents. This is the only way that external influences like peer groups would be eliminated from the development of children. The peer group influence has a strong influence on young adults because it allows these people in the society to move towards certain lines. Bishop (2009) identifies that the main ways that external influence causes young people to build criminal careers at an early age is due to adventure/risk and ridicule/rejection (p97). In terms of adventure and risk, young people seem to have high energies and are willing to try new things for fun. This desire causes many young people to fall into the trap of trying some criminal activities as some form of entertainment. The sense of adventure that comes with it keeps young people happy and excited. In other words, adventure and risk taking gives them something to talk about and become ecstatic over. Some of these things get detected by law enforcement officers and become juvenile delinquent cases. On the other hand, crime and disorderly behavior can sometimes be a criteria for membership and acceptance into some kind of adolescent groups like informal gangs and squads. This means that young people who fail to conform with these peer influence become ridiculed and they are seen as people who do not belong to the group. Such persons are ostracized and given funny names. This leads many children to commit crimes in the process of gaining recognition. Trends There have been extremely high rates of juvenile crimes in the United States. The FBI reports that over 2 million crimes were committed by young people below the age of 18 in 2005 (Hesse & Lawrence, 2009 p6). For the purpose of analysis, the crimes were classified according to the Age (Under 15) and Sex of Offenders. The statistics of some of the dominant crimes is as follows: Offense Total Arrests Female Offenders Male Offenders Under 15 Violent Crime 95300 18.00% 82.00% 31.00% Murder & Manslaughter 1260 10.00% 90.00% 10.00% Forcible Rape 3940 2.00% 98.00% 37.00% Robbery 28910 9.00% 91.00% 23.00% Aggravated Assault 61200 24.00% 76.00% 34.00% Burglary 78000 12.00% 88.00% 33.00% Larceny Theft 294900 42.00% 58.00% 35.00% Motor Vehicle Theft 37700 17.00% 83.00% 23.00% Fraud 8200 35.00% 65.00% 18.00% Stolen Property 22300 17.00% 83.00% 25.00% Vandelism 104100 14.00% 86.00% 42.00% Weapons 44800 11.00% 89.00% 34.00% Drug Use 289510 28.00% 72.00% 28.00% This shows that a significant proportion of these offenders are between ages 15 and 18. These are young people who are at the peak of adventure and exuberance (Burfierd & Bartusch, 2011 p28). They have little regards for the consequences of their actions and desire to be accepted into the dominant society they live in. The statistics also show that there was a rise in female crimes between 1996 and 2005 (Cliff, 2010 p50). The main area that female offenders increased is in the area of simple assault. Also, drug use amongst young people increased by 15% from 2000 levels (Cliff, 2010 p50). Application Peer pressure is identified by most scholars as the largest most significant external factor that causes young people to get involved in crime (Burfierd & Bartusch, 2010 p28). These young offenders seem to lose the ability to examine the long term consequences of their actions. They therefore end up committing crimes that become an issue to the wider society. The need for acceptance is also identified as one of the main causes for these crimes. There are some young people who want to have fun acting out what they see in the movies and hear in violent rap songs. These teenagers end up forming gangs and other loose criminal networks that lead them to break the law in the name of having fun. Loose networks ran by young people causes other teenagers to enter the cycle of crime and illegality with the hope that they would be accepted into the society and the group. Some are introduced to drugs and dangerous lifestyles which urges them on to become deviants in the society. Predictions The Bible says that parents must teach their children and talk about the Laws of God when they walk on the road and when they lie down and when they wake up (Deuteronomy 11:19). This means that the Bibles view of solving the issue of juvenile delinquency is to get young people to know Him and His Laws. In teaching the Laws of God to younger children, the Bible urges parents to use moderate and reasonable force to get their sons and daughters to learn to abide by the laws of God. Proverbs 13:24 states that “He that spareth the rod hateth his son [child] but he that loveth him corrected him betimes”. This means that the Bible supports the use of training procedures and disciplinary measures at home as a preventive tool. When preventive measures at home fail, children become a burden of the state. They therefore need to resort to corrective measures. This way, the state needs to punish and sometimes mentor and foster the children. “In 1992, Congress amended the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to include the Juvenile Monitoring Program (JUMP) to build positive bonds between children and adults” (Cox et al, 2010 p238). Mentorship programs have been able to been able to create positive role models who have guided younger offenders and enabled them to remain on the right paths (McShane & Williams, 2003, p143). Other key guidance and counseling sessions have worked with various degrees of successes (McShane & Williams, 2003 p143). However, in other instances where younger people commit crimes that have serious consequences, they might need to be locked up in jail for long periods of time for several reasons. This include punishment, to act as deterrent to other teenagers, to reform the young adults, to protect the public and to make reparation for victims (Hunt, 2004 p27). Conclusion The main external cause of juvenile delinquency is peer group influence. Teenagers get involved in crime because they seek acceptance into groups of other teenagers, bullying and the use and abuse of drugs. The Bibles position is one that supports a preventive approach of correction and training at home. Legally, young offenders have been placed on some mentorship programs. However, some of them end up facing the full force of the law as a form of punitive or preventive measure. References Bishop D. M. (2009) “Juvenile Transfer in the United States” Reforming Juvenile Justice eds Junger Josine & Dunkel Frieder New York: Springer Burfeird J. & Bartusch D. (2011) Juvenile Delinquency: An Integrated Approach Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Publishing Cliff R. (2010) Juvenile Justice: Theory & Practice Danvers, MA: CRC Press. Cox, S. M., Allen, J. M, Conrad, J. J. & Hanser R. D. (2010) Juvenile Justice: A Guide to Theory, Policy & Practice. New York: SAGE Publication. Hesse M. & Lawrence R. (2009) Juvenile Justice: The Essentials New York: SAGE Hunt, M. (2004) A Level Law London: Sweet & Maxwell Publishing. McShane, M. D. & Williams F. P. (2003) Encyclopedia of Juvenile Justice New York: SAGE Siegel L. J. & Welsh B. (2010) Juvenile Delinquency: The Core Mason, OH: Cengage Read More