Environmental Factors' Development of a Childs Behavior - Case Study Example

Running head: JUVENILE DELINQUENCY Juvenile Delinquency and Environmental Factors Insert Insert Grade Insert January 30, Juvenile Delinquency and Environmental Factors Introduction Juvenile delinquency is one of the social problems that have been experienced in the contemporary societies. A juvenile can be described as a minor who has not attained the age of an adult to whom various legislative provisions can apply. Juvenile delinquency involves involvement by these minors in unacceptable or criminal acts that would call for legal prosecution if the actor were an adult. The crimes can be committed by the juveniles against other people in the society, against a property, or against the society. Some of the crimes that are increasingly committed by the juveniles include murder, robbery with violence, forcible rape, arson, a property theft or vandalizing, social harassment, drink driving, prostitution, or illegal use and possession of deadly weapons. Juvenile delinquency could also include other acts like a child fleeing his or her home to be a street child in the urban centers. These actions reflect negatively on the subsequent development of the child as well as the growth in the society and yet they are on an increase globally. To cub this practice, some authorities like those in the US consider individuals aged 16 or 17 as adults and apply the standard legal procedures in their prosecution (Siegel & Welsh, 2011, p.3). A good proportion of these offenses are committed by individuals between the age of 13 and 17. Several factors can contribute to the juveniles developing these behaviors. Some of the factors may be specific to a given child in terms of the psychological and biological developments. However, the environmental factors have been identified as having key influence on the development of juvenile delinquency. Factors like the family life, the society’s perception/reflection on gender, peer influence, as well as use of drugs are some of the fundamental factors leading to these criminal cases. This paper expands on the influence that these environmental factors have on the development of a child’s behavior and how they can contribute to juvenile delinquency. Environmental factors and juvenile delinquency The environment in which a child is brought is likely to affect his/her social, mental, and psychological development. Children that do not perform well at home, at school, or in the society are likely to develop delinquent behaviors as they grow (Siegel & Welsh, 2011, p.237). Not a single environmental factor can be used to explain the resulting behavior of child. The factors like human life, gender, peer influence, and drug use interact to shape the behavior of a child. This illustrated here below. Family life The behavior of a child at the juvenile and later ages is greatly affected by the family life that the child experiences at the very early ages. The family is the basic structure from where a child learns the basic life values, norms, models of behavior, and principles (Martin, 2005, p.65). The values obtained from this structure will affect the child almost throughout his/her life. Good parenting can help in the management of other social and emotional problems including the peer influence (Siegel & Welsh, 2011, p.281). These are not achievable if the family is dysfunctional in some way. The dysfunctional families ‘transfer dysfunctional norms to their children’ (Martin, 2005, p.65). Good parenting involves giving parental love and proper guidance and counseling to children on various social and emotional aspects of life. It involves instilling in the children moral and ethical values that will enable them overcome such challenges later in life. A child will most like copy the behavior and actions of their parents. If the parents are regular lawbreakers, the child is also likely to develop into a criminal at tender age. Poor parenting is often associated with no family bondage and the children do not feel a sense of belonging. As the child grows, he/she might seek this sense of belonging from elsewhere affecting negatively his/her behavior. The treatment that parents give to their children is another important aspect of the family life. Child abuse (overworking, physical assault, or sexual abuse) can lead to juvenile delinquency. Some researches have indicated that there is an association between child abuse and delinquency. Even though other factors may contribute to the association, it can be argued that has treatment by some parents may force the children to flee their homes and be independent. The period in which a child is maltreated by the parent may also affect the development of this behavior (Siegel & Welsh, 2011, p.281). After attaining this lifestyle, the child will have to engage in any odd activities to obtain a living. This will provide an avenue through which other factors like peer group become influential in the life of the child. The stability of the family is essential in developing the strong family bond and constant family conflicts can contribute to several cases of juvenile delinquency. It has been noted that divorce and family break-ups have had direct relations with the adolescent misbehaviors (Siegel & Welsh, 2011, p.283; Martin, 2005, p.65). Children often get into dilemma as their families break without the knowledge of the next course of pursuit. They may become dependent on the other seniors who may or may not be trusted. Depending on the treatment from these guardians, the children may develop different behaviors. Family conflicts also lead to early child autonomy leaving the children to survive on their own at early ages. On the contrary, secure marriages produce secure and independent children. The economic status of the family also has significant contribution. High levels of poverty may be linked to poor behaviors among the juveniles. School dropouts contribute to a good proportion of juvenile crimes and this could be caused by the inability of the parents to provide for their needs in schools. Such children may resort to acts like theft to subsidize their life needs. A similar problem is encountered by orphaned children. Gender Factors related to gender also contribute to juvenile delinquency in certain ways. Gender differences occur in socialization, cognition, and personality development that contribute to a difference in some behavior in the future. Boy and girls are treated differently by their parents who tend to cultivate traits they consider masculine and feminine in them respectively. Females are often accorded protection whereas males are often subjected to greater risks and less protections leading to development of antisocial behavior (Siegel & Welsh, 2011, p.239). Consequently, the females become victims as well as agents of these criminal acts. Young girls are often victimized in the society. They are common victims of abduction and rape in which they are threatened and forced to comply with the requirements of these ‘predators’. A good proportion of young women in the contemporary society are at a ‘risk of horrific abuse and violence, while others are involved in substance abuse and gang membership’ (Siegel & Welsh, 2011, p.237). The feeling of a female child after such traumatic experiences may affect her emotions for a greater part of her life. One may become delinquent as retaliation to the brutal society whereas cases of substance abuse may also be recorded as mechanism of helping forget the incidence. Besides, some communities exhibit sex discrimination and prefer boys to girls. Boys are allowed access to necessities like formal education while girls are restricted to domestic chores. The girls are taught to be respectful and obedient to the males. In effect, the girls become dependent and desperate. This can be the roots of young females fleeing homes to be prostitutes. Despite these violations of rights against young women, there has been an increasing rate of female delinquency in the contemporary society. This fact has been ignored for a long time with criminologists assuming that the females are less likely to break the law (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). However, this can no longer be ignored. Even though the rates of female delinquency are still lower than those for males are, young women are increasingly involved in the juvenile delinquency and the gender gap in the juvenile justice systems continue to narrow in different countries (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). The females also engage in similar delinquent acts to the males such as aggravated assaults and aggravated burglary. Over the years, the females have struggled to ensure gender equality by engaging in the traditionally perceived masculine duties and careers. The equality has been reflected in the behaviors as well with females exhibiting social and emotional behaviors similar to men. Peer influence Peer influence can also be a key factor in shaping the behavior of a child especially in the contemporary society. Contrary to the earlier times when young individuals spent much of their time with the parents (in the agricultural fields or at home), the young children in the contemporary societies spend much of their time in school with their schoolmates (Siegel & Welsh, 2011). This exposes them to the risks of peer influence if proper guidance is not accorded by the school administration. The juveniles often fall under pressure to conform to some of the behaviors and practices that they consider conventional in the modern world. They would always want to experiment a given lifestyle that they see in other people around them. The appeals from their peers soon win their hearts and they fall part of the group. This leads to acts like underage smoking and excessive drinking that has been rising among the juvenile (Mandel, 2008). One is often considered an uncivilized outcast if he is not able to follow suit. Other grave juvenile crimes follow peer influence. A good proportion of the crimes committed by the juveniles occur in juvenile groups (World Youth Report, 2003, p.191). Under the influence of drugs and alcohol, juvenile groups can engage in grave crimes like robbery with violence, property vandalizing, and social offending among many others. Use of drugs The use of drugs is itself an offense and yet it contributes to juvenile delinquency in a number of ways as well. Firstly, the drugs have effects on the physical and hormonal functions of the body systems. Under the influence of drugs and alcohol, juveniles engage in various youth offending and social disturbances (Barnes, Welte, and Hoffman, 2002, p.154). Crimes like manslaughter, forced rape, robbery with violence, or other violation of human rights may be committed under the influence of drugs. Other female delinquency acts like prostitution can also be aggravated by the use of drugs and alcohol. Secondly, the juveniles use very powerful drugs and the usage begins at very early ages when they are not able to afford the expensive drugs. They turn to other crimes like property theft or robbery with violence to obtain the required funds. Conclusion The influence of environmental factors on the behavioral development of a child right from the early stages is evident. A child spends much time with the family members and thus the family environment has significant contribution towards shaping the child’s behavior. The influence of other peers, like schoolmates, is also significant especially since the juvenile age at which these offenses begin often coincide with the school age. Gender discrimination that leads to unequal opportunities may force some individuals into these activities. This mainly affects girls in certain societies that value male children. The use of drugs also drives juveniles into these criminal acts. Several other environmental factors will influence the behavior of a child and contribute to increased juvenile delinquency. An important point to understand is that each of these factors can never contribute to a particular behavior without the influence of other factors. Rather, the interaction of several of these factors will enhance the development of these children into potential criminals in the society. A juvenile who lacks proper parental guidance will easily be influenced by his peers to perform a punishable act. References Barnes, G., Welte, J., & Hoffman, J. (2002). Relationship of Alcohol Use to Delinquency and Illicit Drug Use in Adolescents: Gender, Age, and Racial/Ethnic Differences. Journal of Drug Issues. Pp153-178 http://www.gizarte.net/drogodependencias/datos/relationshipalcohol.pdf Martin. (2005). Juvenile Delinquency: Theories of Causation. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/4880_Martin_Chapter_3_Juvenile_Delinquency.pdf Mandel, I. (2008). What causes juvenile delinquency? Retrieved from http://www.filthylucre.com/what-causes-juvenile-delinquency Siegel, L. & Welsh, B. (2011). Juvenile delinquency: Theory, practice and law. Fourth edition. Wadsworth: Cengage Learning. World Youth Report. (2003). Chapter 7: Juvenile delinquency. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch07.pdf Read More