Criminal Justice -Teenagers and Crime - Literature review Example

TEENAGERS AND CRIME by The of the The of the School The and where it is located The Date Teenagers and Crime Criminologists pay much attention to studying causes of juvenile crime because they are extremely important for developing effective intervention to prevent young people from wrongdoing and rehabilitate teenage offenders effectively. There are numerous psychological, sociological and criminological theories applied to improve people’s understanding of juvenile crime. A large scope of literature devoted to youth crime research indicates that it is a complex issue which happens as a result of simultaneous influence of different environmental, social, political, economic, cultural and psychological factors. Juvenile crime in criminal justice in the world is usually referred as an offense done by 12-20 year old people (United Nations, 2004). In the UK, criminal responsibility can be applied to all people starting from 10 year-olds (Youth Justice Board/Ministry of Justice. 2014). There were 98,837 young offender cases in the England and Wales out of which 43,601 young offenders ager 10-17 were sentenced in 2012-2013. Out of them, 21% of cases were constituted by violence against the person offenses. 19% were represented by handling and theft. 11% of all cases involved criminal damage. Juvenile sex offenders were involved in 1,384 cases. 77% of crimes were committed by young people over 15 years old. 82% of all cases are committed by male offenders (Youth Justice Board/Ministry of Justice, 2014). In Scotland, where the system to deal with young offender crimes is less punitive, the significant 24% decline is also observed (Paterson, 2013). Even though there is a significant decline in the number of teenage criminals in the UK, the problem remain topical as the government aims at creating safer and better community for youth in the country. The causes why young people resort to criminal activities are extremely diverse as they depend on large social context as well as personal story of the offender. The wide range of factors of influence involved in each criminal story is processed with the help of different approaches to youth crime as well as general crime theory (Smith, 2010). The topicality of the issue is stressed by attention of world organizations (United Nations) and local governments (The House of Commons) to it. According to the United Nations report (2004), social and economic factors in juvenile crime are very influential. According to UN (2004), during the periods of political and economic instability, crime rates in all groups of people show significant increase. On the contrary, economic and political stability is associated in decline in delinquent behavior. Such issues and high levels of youth unemployment and poverty are linked with higher risks of criminal behavior. The House of Commons report (2013) support this position showing that young people from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have more risks to be involved in crimes. UN report (2004) shows that teenage crime is often associated with group activities. Individual teenage offenders are less represented than those criminals who belong to different groups or local gangs. Smith (2010), cites several studies which prove that gang members are more prone to commit more violet and frequent crimes due to the fact that gang participation involves them in culture where crime is acceptable. The House of Commons report (2013) points out that gang related violence is less prevalent in the UK due to effective policies which aimed at youth crime prevention. Culture also influences juvenile delinquency. Established general living standards and values can motivate young people to resort to criminal activities in order to improve their lives. Basically, cultural factors are most influential if they are supported by obvious economic and social causes (United Nations, 2004). Young people from poor background can face difficulties coping with highly materialistic values of modern society in the UK. Lack of opportunities, low level education and no employment perspectives often motivate such crimes as theft or participation in drug trafficking (Youth Justice Board/Ministry of Justice, 2014). Family is another strong influential factor on juvenile crime. The role of a family as a primary source of socialization is confirmed by all sources reviewed in this paper. Young people who have people with criminal careers in their families are more likely to be engaged in criminal activities than other people. The risk is especially high if children have one imprisoned parent who is often represented by their absent father. Dysfunctional father creates wrong role model of male behavior and motivates further accepting criminal behavior in children (Farrington, 2011), The study by Paterson (2013), indicates that all young offenders are 2.5 more likely than other people to have a family members in custody. Children who experience violence or sexual abuse in their families often become criminals in their future; up to 44% of young people in custody were the victims of domestic violence (The House of Commons, 2013). Teenagers who grow up in single parent families or are raised by divorced parents have more risks to commit crime. Lack of parental supervision, warmth and support in family relationships is a strong factor which contributes to juvenile delinquency (Farrington, 2011). Dysfunctional families where substance abuse, addictions and domestic violence take place can influence the way young people perceive the world and alter their understanding of appropriate and inappropriate behavior (Farrington, 2011). Social exclusion which is often connected with low social status of a family causes antisocial behavior directed against people who represent other social classes. Children in such families have less opportunities and often experience bullying in their lives. As far as they cannot receive protection from their family, they develop negative personality traits to distance from the environment which is harmful for them. It often results in antisocial and criminal behavior. According to Farrington (2011), large family size is also a strong factor in juvenile crime stories. In families with large number of children, parents fail to pay enough attention to each of them separately. Lack of supervision and poor emotional connection between parents in children in such families are common. According to Paterson (2013), the study of prisoners in Scotland shows that they are more likely to grow up in child care facilities. The official report of UK government indicates that around three quarters of all youth offenders live not with their parents (Youth Justice Board/Ministry of Justice, 2014). All in all, lack of parental attention and poor family communication deprives children of appropriate and protective conditions which grant them safe childhood. Media influences are very strong today. Violent videogames, scenes of violence in cinematography, criminal news and even literature about crimes can cause abnormal interest in death and violence in young people (United Nations, 2004). Overexposure to media violence is followed by lack of appropriate role models for young people. The study by DeLisi et al. (2013) clearly shows the connections of media violence and violent video games to promotion of aggressive and antisocial behavior in youth. 227 participants of the research clearly indicated that violent video games exposure intensified their aggressive and antisocial behavior which resulted in criminal activities. Migration and exclusion are closely linked together. Young people, who feel excluded from their community, feel the need to create groups to grant mutual protection of their interest. These groups are frequently established by racial, cultural or ethnic minorities’ representatives. Racial and ethnic minority representatives are more likely to be in the custody compared to the majority group. In the UK, Black ethnic background group has more young offenders in correctional facilities than other ethnic minorities (Youth Justice Board/Ministry of Justice. 2014). If to relate their number to general ethnic composition in the UK, they are overrepresented in criminal justice system. Urbanization influences teenage crime rates. According to UN report (2004), high population density and bigger contrast between different social groups boost crime rates in big cities. Urban areas are characterized by easier access to various illegal substances, more numerous street gangs and busier lifestyle. According to the House of Commons report (2013), the majority of teenage crimes take place in London. North West, West Midlands and Yorkshire display relatively high crime rates. North East and South West regions have the lowest rates of youth crimes in England and Wales. It shows that highly urbanized areas need more effective interventions to prevent youth from illegal activities. Mental and physical health also influences young people’s risk to be involved in criminal activities. According to Farrington (2011), such psychological factors and impulsiveness and lack of concentration result in higher risks of criminal activities in youth. According to the House of Commons report (2013) up to 80% of all young offenders have at least one personality disorder. One of the studies based on 14 year-old offenders in the UK shows that 8% of them have at least one attempt of suicide in their lives (The House of Commons, 2013). Young offenders are often undereducated or show poor academic performance. They have higher risks to be drop outs. They also have higher risks to suffer from learning disability (Youth Justice Board/Ministry of Justice, 2014). According to Scott & Steinberg (2008), general psychological characteristics of teenagers and peer pressure in their culture often become the reasons why they commit crimes. It is motivated by the fact that psychologically teens are more influenced by their peers while family and education become secondary circles of socialization for them. If young people make friends with street gang members or adolescents involved in criminal activities, they get very high risk to be forces to behave the same way. Parents who try to control their children motivate the mechanism of rejection and activate negative response in them. The desire to create certain image to impress other teenagers may also result in criminal record. Obviously, all these causes of youth crimes do not appear separately from one another. Every criminal case of youth offenders can be characterized by special set of these causes where they are represented in different intensity. Knowing the nature of each cause, criminal psychologists together with officials can work on effective crime prevention strategies to create appropriate environment where negative risk factors are minimal. The House of Commons (2013), Paterson (2013) and Youth Justice Board/Ministry of Justice (2014) indicate that the UK rates of youth crime are constantly decreasing. England, Wales and Scotland implement numerous policies to rehabilitate youth after crimes to prevent recidivism. They also target youth risk groups to keep them away from criminal activities and create highly inclusive environment for them. In conclusion, this literature review reveals the complexity of juvenile crime in the local context of the UK. The reducing number of teenagers in correctional facilities indicates the break through made by local institutions. Governmental efforts to provide better opportunities to socially and economically disadvantaged groups predict further improvement in the situation with youth crime in the UK. Awareness of causes of juvenile crimes is critical for improving current preventive policies. References DeLisi, M., Vaughn, MG., Gentile, DA., Anderson, CA., & Shook, JJ. 2013. Violent Video Games, Delinquency, and Youth Violence New Evidence.Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 11(2), 132-142. Farrington, DP. 2011. Families and crime. Crime and public policy, 130-157. Paterson, J. 2013. Tackling youth crime, violence & disorder: A partnership approach. Scottish Institute for Policing Research, 26. Scott, ES, & Steinberg, L. 2008. Adolescent development and the regulation of youth crime. The Future of Children, 18(2), 15-33. Smith, DJ. (Ed.). 2010. A New Response to Youth Crime. London: Routledge. The House of Commons. 2013. Youth justice: Seventh report of session 2012–13. London: The Stationery Office Limited. Youth Justice Board/Ministry of Justice. 2014. Youth justice statistics 2012/13, England and Wales. Statistics bulletin. United Nations. 2004. World youth report 2003. New York: United Nations. Read More