The Increasing Involvement of Girls in Delinquent Behavior - Research Paper Example

of the Person to whom the Memorandum is to be submitted of the 14 February, Problems and Solutions Regarding the Increasing Involvement of Girls in Delinquent Behavior and Status Offenses Introduction Though in a historical context, the proportion of girls involved in delinquency and status offences was minuscule, in a contemporary scenario, the percentage of girls in the juvenile justice system is on the rise. Girls today constitute a much bigger proportion in the delinquency statistics than they used to have in the eighties. It is a different thing that a peep into the dynamics of girl delinquency is difficult, because there has been a dearth of research and studies pertaining to female offenders. Tanenhaus believes that an increasing proportion of girls guilty of delinquent behavior could be attributed to augmenting instances of conditions that nudge the girls to resort to a delinquent behavior and a marked skill enhancement on the part of law and order authorities in identifying the girls who got exposed to such conditions (Tanenhaus 51). Nature of Female Delinquency Researchers have reported marked differences between the male and female delinquents. Whereas, the crimes committed by boys tend to be more serious and varied, the girl delinquents are usually affiliated to less serious crimes (Mann 7). A significant proportion of the girl delinquents are arrested for offenses like larceny, theft (which mostly tends to be shop lifting) and running away and prostitution (Mann 8). Engagement of girls in larceny and theft could be attributed to the changing socio-economic environment. Since females constitute a bulk of the people who shop, girls are more likely to resort to shoplifting for or stealing things that they feel they need, but are not in a position to afford them. A great deal of female delinquency could be attributed to exposure to domestic violence and childhood sexual abuse (Feitel et al 156; Stiffman 418). Though boy delinquents are as susceptible to these factors, yet considering the incumbent biological differences and differences in psychological behavior, there do lay gender variations as to how girls respond to some specific environmental factors. Though the onset of puberty is a risk factor that impacts boy offenders, early maturation poses a greater risk factor for girls, considering the onset of external physical changes signifying maturity, while at an emotional and cognitive level, they still tend to be immature (Moffitt 676). Several studies have noted that the onset of early maturity in girls makes them more vulnerable to delinquency. Girls maturing at an early age are more likely to get into relationship with adult males who may be delinquent, which predisposes them to indulge in delinquent behavior (Castillo Mezzich 158). Family also has been noted to have a marked influence on girl delinquency. Researchers have noticed that girls are often more attached to families as compared to boys, and this bond usually acts as a protective factor in the case of girls (Gecas &Seff 169). Once this protective factor gets weakened by family violence, sexual abuse and a weakening of parental supervision, this makes girls more susceptible to delinquent behavior. Girl delinquents, even those residing in poverty ridden and unstructured neighborhoods are less likely to indulge in violence as compared to males, because they are subject to enhanced supervision and tend to stay close to home. However, girl delinquents have been reported of engaging in violent behavior. Studies have shown that girls who have themselves been victims of violence at home or in the neighborhood are more likely to engage in a violent behavior (Molnar et al. 731). Status Offenses Though the rate of juvenile delinquency has been on decline for the past few years, still the girl delinquents committed to residential placements owing to status offenses have been on the rise. Surprisingly, a majority of the girls committed to residential facilities are primarily ascribed as runaways or other types of status offenders (Child Trends Databank 1). Most of the girl delinquents committed to residential facilities mention abuse at home, either physical or sexual as one of the primary reasons for their committing status offenses (Hoyt & Schrer 89). This again corroborates to the previously mentioned assertion that though boy and girl delinquents are susceptible to the same factors, girls being affiliated to different biological and psychological attributes, tend to respond differently to these factors as compared to the boys. Girls are more bonded to their families as compared to boys and once the supervision and protection assured by such domestic bonds gets weakened by physical or sexual abuse, they are very likely to indulge in status offenses like running away from home (Gecas & Seff 169). Domestic supervision that acts as a deterrent to engagement in unlawful activities is of greater significance in the case of girl offenders as compared to boys. A study by Hoyt and Schrer does mention that once the girl status offenders are accepted by the juvenile justice system, the system most often fails to respond to their specific biological and psychological needs (171). Prevention Programs for Girl Delinquents The role of religion as a safeguard against antisocial behavior has been a subject of debate. A recent survey has brought to fore the fact that a majority of the teenagers tend to affiliate to some sort of religion (Regnerus & Elder 633). Some studies assert that involvement in religious activities not only has a salubrious impact on the value system of teenagers, but it could immensely help young people in staying away from antisocial behavior (Regnerus & Elder 633). Religious activities also allow the teenagers to get involved in structural activities organized by religious leaders, parents and neighborhood figures, thereby strengthening their sense of belonging and bonds with the family and the society. It has also been reported that religiosity on the part of parents could play a pivotal role in curbing delinquency (Regnerus 524). Practically speaking, religious activities allow the teenagers a chance to channelize their energy and time in positive and meaningful social engagements and to a great extent helps reduce the stress associated with their youthful identity. It is but commonsensical to expect that religious teenagers are more likely to get along well with their families and communities as they tend to conform to one sort or other of value system and they tend to have high stakes in conforming to a set of social and ethical values and standards. So practically speaking, engaging young girls in religious activities could go a long way in curbing delinquency and unlawful behavior. Attachment to schools and commitment to academic excellence has been found to be a potent factor in helping young people stay away from crime. Many studies have proven that there exists an inverse relationship between the levels of academic performance and the predilection to engage in antisocial behavior (Paulson, Coombs & Richardson 290). The greater the sense of belonging that a young girl attributes to one’s school and the greater she cares about the opinion of one’s teachers, the less likely she is to engage in antisocial behavior (Paulson, Coombs and Richardson 290). The students harboring an intense commitment towards their school and academic performance are less prone to resort to delinquent behavior as they have much at stake. So, the education system and teachers can play a great role in curbing delinquent behavior amongst girls. Much needs to be changed in the juvenile justice system to prevent girls from indulging in delinquent behavior and status offenses. The juvenile justice system needs to resort less to legal detentions and must opt for community based alternatives to help the nascent offenders get over their delinquent aspirations and to be productive members of the society. Intervention Programs for Girl Delinquents The juvenile justice system and society could resort to a range of intervention programs to help young delinquents restrain their antisocial tendencies. School level interventions that help the young delinquents look at schools in a different perspective and facilitate the requisite social experiences could go a long way in curtailing delinquent behavior. The school level interventions could resort to a series of measures like behavior management programs, curriculums that could help girl delinquents attain social competence, measures to control bullying, and parents and teacher managed programs intended to help young girls hone their social, emotional and academic abilities could go a long way in correcting delinquent tendencies (Jones & Offord 738). The juvenile justice system could come out with innovative Early Offender Programs to extend specialized and targeted, in home interventions to the young female offenders showing early predilection towards delinquency and antisocial behavior. These early interventions may resort to a range of measures like customized therapy and treatment, and assistance with school activities and tasks. Varied interventions could be made at the county level, involving close cooperation and coordination between varied sources like County Attorney Office, Community health system and Children and Family services. These agencies could instruct and help the parents in the day to day care and management of female delinquents. The county authorities could also regularly check the school performance of young delinquents and arrange meaningful extracurricular activities for them. The county authorities could create integrated service facilities, which the early delinquents and their families could access for advice, aid and assistance. The county authorities could seek the help of corporate sponsors to run programs and extracurricular activities for potential female delinquents. It goes without saying that though the factors influencing a delinquent behavior amongst boys and girls tend to be more or less same, yet girl delinquents respond to these factors in a different way owing to their unique biology and psychological mindset. It is high time that the juvenile justice system should start gearing itself to meet the needs and aspirations of the girl delinquents. Works Cited Castillo Mezzich, A, Tarter, RE, Giancola, PR, Lu, S Kirisci, L & Parks, S. “Substance use and Risky Sexual Behavior in Female Adolescents”. Drugs & Alcohol Dependence”. 44. 2-3 (1997): 167-166. Print. Feitel, B, Lipman, C, Chamas, J & Margetson, N. “Psychosocial Background and Behavioral and Emotional Disorders of Homeless and Runaway Youth”. Hospital and Community Psychiatry 43(1992): 155-159. Print. Gecas, V & Seff, M. “Social Class and Self Esteem: Psychological Centrality, Compensation, and the Relative Effects of Work and Home”. Social Psychology Quarterly 53.2 (1990): 165-173. Print. Hoyt, S & Scherer, D. “Female Juvenile Delinquency: Misunderstood by the Juvenile Justice System, Neglected by Social Science”. Law and Human Behavior 22.1 (1998): 81-107. Print. Jones, MB & Offord, DR. “Reduction of Antisocial Behavior in Poor Children by Nonschool Skill Development”. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines 30 (1989): 737-750. Print. “Juvenile Detention”. Childtrendsdatabank.org. Child Trends Databank, n. d. Web. 14 February 2012. Mann, Coramae Richey. Female Crime and Delinquency. University, AL: University of Alabama Press, 1984. Print. Moffitt, TE. “Adolescence: Limited and Life-Course-Persistent Antisocial Behavior”. Psychological Review 100 (1993): 674-701. Print. Molnar, BE, Browne, A, Buka, SL & Cerda, M. “Violent Behavior by Girls Reporting Violent Victimization”. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 159 (2005): 731-739. Print. Paulson, MJ, Coombs, RH and Richardson, MA. “School Performance, Academic Aspirations and Drug Use Among Children and Adolescents”. Journal of Drug Education 2.4 (1990): 289-303. Print. Regnerus, MD. “Moral Communities and Adolescent Delinquency”. Sociological Quarterly 44 (2003): 523-554. Print. Regnerus, MD & Elder, GH. “Religion and Vulnerability Among Low-Risk Adolescents”. Social Science Research 32 (2003): 633-658. Print. Stiffman, AR. “Physical and Social Abuse in Runaway Youths”. Child Abuse and Neglect 13 (1989): 417-426. Print. Tanenhaus, David S. Juvenile Justice in the Making. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Print. Read More