Juvenile Recidivism - Essay Example

? Juvenile Recidivism of the of the Concerned June 8, Juvenile Recidivism Introduction It has been d that the delinquent juveniles are more prone to resorting to a serious criminal behavior during adulthood. Yet, it is also a fact that a number of young offenders stop engaging in criminal activities by the time they attain adulthood. The task of curbing future criminality in the case of young offenders is to a great extent dependant on the identification of causal factors that make a young offender to continue with crime or to relinquish criminal behavior (Savitz et al., 1962). Most of the researches carried on with young offenders have led to the identification of multiple factors that are indicative of a future delinquency. The designing of effective assessment strategies leading to interventions with the young offenders are no doubt, predominantly dependant on the identification of causal factors that constitute the basis of a realistic prediction (Savitz et al., 1962). Adolescence is a phase of life when the young people are more prone to engaging in antisocial behavior. Practice of antisocial behavior during adolescence is the single most important factor in the prediction of criminal behavior in the adulthood. A plethora of research carried on till now has suggested that almost a half or more of juvenile offenders continue with the criminal behavior beyond their teens. Statistics Juvenile recidivism is a serious problem in the United States. On an annual basis, roughly 2.4 million juveniles are charged with criminal offences every year (Wilson, 2011: Online). As per some conservative estimates, roughly 55 percent or more of juvenile offenders who are released get rearrested within a year (Wilson, 2011: Online). In case of urban areas, the rate of juvenile recidivism is estimated to be as high as 76 percent (Wilson, 2011: Online). At a national level, it is utterly difficult to acquire the accurate recidivism rates. This is because in the US, the recidivism rates in case of juvenile offenders are assessed at a state or county level (Wilson, 2011: Online). Hence, the statistics specific to the particular states is in a way a realistic indicator of the levels of juvenile recidivism. In the year 2005, the rate of juvenile recidivism in the State of Washington, in case of boys stood at 77 percent and in the case of girls it stood at 72 percent (Wilson, 2011: Online). In the State of California, the percentage of juvenile delinquents who got rearrested within a year was 74 (Wilson, 2011: Online). In Manhattan, the rate of juvenile recidivism rested at roughly 80 percent (Wilson, 2011: Online). Many experts believe that the statistics pertaining to juvenile recidivism ought to be treated with caution as the law and order authorities are more likely to arrest juvenile offenders whom they already know to have been engaged in similar crimes in the past (Wilson, 2011: Online). Perhaps, if one goes by such warnings, the rate of juvenile recidivism in many states and counties would perhaps be not so high. Still, in a pragmatic context, the statistics pertaining to juvenile recidivism is to some extent a tentative indicator of the extent to which the juveniles have a chance to reoffend once they have been in trouble with the law. Criminal Propensity As already mentioned, adolescence is a period that is usually most susceptible to criminal behavior. Many a times it has been found that the adults given to criminal behavior, do resorted to some type of criminal behavior at some time or other in the adolescent phase of their life (Farrington et al., 1998). A great number of research studies have corroborated the fact that almost 50 percent of the juvenile offenders carry on a criminal bent of mind in the adult stage of their life also (Farrington et al., 1998). Moreover, those juvenile offenders that carry on with an antisocial behavior in their adulthood are more prone to perpetrating serious and violent crimes (Farrington et al., 1998). Thus the timely identification of juvenile offenders that are more likely to carry on with crime and the tracing of accompanying factors that encourage an offensive mindset are very central to the objective of controlling a criminal behavior. The young offenders who are likely to make a career in crime exhibit certain personality traits and propensities right from the start. Such propensities include an utter lack of self control, a tendency to give up self gratification, and a total lack of an ability to take into consideration the long term consequences of an act (Farrington et al., 1998). Other character traits found in juvenile offenders prone to recidivism are an undisciplined and antisocial approach and perspective towards life, tendency to resort to egotistical and manipulative behavior in social interactions, absence of feelings for others and a chronic disability to empathize with others (Farrington et al., 1998). Simply put, most of the theories of criminal propensity hold that an indulgence in crime during an early stage in life and a history marked by high frequency of criminal behavior in adolescence is more likely to give way to a criminal behavior in adulthood. Domestic and Social Ambience Varied theories have tried to correlate the behavior of juvenile offenders to the related factors like family, neighborhood, peers and school (Grisso, 1998). Young offenders that are affiliated to behavioral issues and problems and belong to disturbed families do have a higher chance of reverting to antisocial behavior at a later stage (Grisso, 1998). The chances get further accentuated by recurrent conflicts within the family and a flawed and inconsistent exposure to apt parenting strategies (Grisso, 1998). In case of young delinquents, the behavioral issues and problems faced at school not only affect their academic performance, but, combined with antisocial peers and the crime infested neighborhoods, the chances of developing deep seated and long lasting antisocial tendencies get further aggravated (Grisso, 1998). Some experts have even gone to the extent of placing social factors far above individual stability with regards to juvenile recidivism. Family members, peers, and the neighborhood in which a young offender lives do play an important role in the reinforcement of criminal behavior (Niarhos & Roth, 1997). They also do play an important role in the development and perpetuation of antisocial behavior in a young offender (Niarhos & Roth, 1997). Juvenile offenders who have the family members, siblings and peers given to antisocial behavior are more likely to stick to antisocial behavior on the attainment of adulthood as compared to those young offenders whose family members, siblings and peers are less deviant (Farrington et al., 1998). Besides social control plays a major role in juvenile recidivism. Individuals who reside in families, societies and neighborhoods where the people are less committed to social conventions do often believe that they have nothing much to lose by resorting to antisocial behavior (Niarhos & Roth, 1997). Thus, such people not only get attracted to antisocial behavior at a very early stage in life, but also that their antisocial tendencies and beliefs are more deep seated and long lasting (Niarhos & Roth, 1997). This seems to be true in the sense that it is very commonsensical to believe that people whose bonds to the family and society are weak and fragile are more likely to resort to a criminal behavior. Conclusion Even if one takes the available statistics with a measure of restrain and doubt, still, juvenile recidivism is a big national problem. Varied factors like domestic environment, individual propensity, peers, academic performance and social atmosphere play a crucial role in determining the levels of juvenile delinquency and juvenile recidivism. A successful approach towards an effective intervention, besides other measures, necessitates a systematic identification of such factors. References Farrington, DP, Lambert, S & West, DJ. (1998). Criminal Careers of Two Generations of Family Members in the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development. Studies on Crime & Crime Prevention, 7, 85-106. Grisso, T. (1998). Forensic Evaluation of Juveniles. Sarasota: Professional Resources Press. Niarhos, FJ & Roth, DK. (1997). The Role of Clinical Assessment in the Juvenile Court: Predictions on Juvenile Dispositions and Recidivism. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21, 151-159. Savitz, Leonard, Wolfgang, Marvin & Johnston, Norman. (1962). The Sociology of Crime and Delinquency. New York: John Wiley and Sons. Wilson, Jane (2011). Reducing Juvenile Recidivism in the United States. Retrieved June 4, 2011, from http://www.scribd.com/doc/19695235/Juvenile-Recidivism Read More