Juvenile Delinquency Causes

and Effects
Topic: Juvenile Delinquency Words: 2377 Pages: 9

Causes and Effects of Juvenile

Delinquency: Essay Abstract
Given the widespread family, societal, community, and individual
costs that come with high rates of juvenile delinquency, one cannot
help to wonder what the government is doing about it. It is also
everybody’s concern that the government may not be doing enough
to make a difference.

At this point, it is important to note that one can effortlessly appear

non-delinquent after a correctional program while the delinquent
characteristics are intact deep inside him/her. Delinquency
programs for the youth have continually focused on individual
behavior while ignoring community, family, and neighborhood
factors, which are the most critical factors contributing to
delinquent behavior.

It is common knowledge that the problem of juvenile delinquency is

immense in society, and thus a change of tact is critical if society is
to overcome this problem. This paper will explore other factors that
lead to juvenile delinquency and propose solutions to this problem.

Effects and Causes of Juvenile

Delinquency: Essay Introduction
Delinquency refers to the violation of a law by a child. It is analogous
to the commitment of a crime by an adult. Juvenile delinquency is
an issue of great concern in law enforcement and correctional
circles.

Every state in the U.S. aims to reduce the number of juveniles being
recruited to delinquency and the number of juvenile delinquents
recidivating.

Despite the efforts taken in a bid to reduce the number of

delinquents and recidivists, the U.S. continues to record high
numbers of juvenile offenders in juvenile correctional facilities. This
situation, therefore, calls for a nuanced approach to the issue of
juvenile delinquency.

It is critical to understand the extent of the growth of juvenile

offending. Statistics released by bureaus in various states indicate
that the rate of juvenile offenses is increasing. Offending patterns
among groups previously described as risk groups for juvenile
delinquency are worsening or, at least, unchanging.

There is, therefore, the need to analyze the causes of juvenile

delinquency, evaluate the effects that delinquency has on society,
and develop interventions that can lead to a reduction in the rate of
delinquency and recidivism among juveniles. This paper describes
the problem of juvenile recidivism and suggests ways to reduce the
delinquency rate.

Juvenile Delinquency Statistics

A substantial percentage of arrests made each day in the U.S.
comprises people below the age of 18. It is estimated that the
percentage of violent crime arrests currently stands at about 17 %
(Barker 1). “Juveniles accounted for 16% of all violent crimes arrests
and 32% of all property crime arrests in 1999. They accounted for
54% of all arson arrests, 42% of vandalism arrests, 31 % of larceny
arrests, and 33% of burglary arrests” (“Juvenile Justice” 1).

The number of juveniles engaging in delinquent behavior in various

states depends on racial disparities. Currently, black juveniles
constitute the highest number of youths being held in residential
custody. Their number is almost twice the number of Hispanics held
in residential custody and five times the number of white juveniles
held in residential custody in the United States (“Juvenile Justice” 1).
In several cases, Juveniles are tried in adult courts. In fact, the
Kansas and Vermont states in the U.S. have statutory provisions that
allow the trial of juveniles as young as 10 years of age in adult
courts. This situation may need review. It is because youth held in
adult prisons tend to have a higher recidivism rate than those in
juvenile systems (“Juvenile Justice” 1).

More than 1.7 million juvenile delinquency cases in the United States
were disposed of in 1997. Two thousand of the aforementioned
cases were criminal homicides. Forcible rape constituted 6,500,
while aggravated assault cases totaled 67,900. Out of the 1.7 million,
180,000 cases were drug-related (“Juvenile Justice” 1).

The statistics outlined above show the seriousness of the issue of

delinquency in the United States. Given the effects of delinquency
on society, it is vital to understand the causes of delinquency. It is
also critical to develop solutions and prevention strategies for
delinquency.

Causes of Juvenile Delinquency

There have been heated debates among criminologists,
psychologists, and sociologists concerning the possible causes of
juvenile delinquency. The causes included in the following
discussion have been proven through practical research.

One of the leading causes of delinquent behavior among juveniles is

peer influence. Research shows that young people who form
relationships with positive individuals and groups that pursue
positive commitments tend to shun delinquent behavior. However,
juveniles can engage in activities that do not have concrete
objectives and commitments.

These activities will likely lead to volatile relationships that may

encourage delinquent behavior. Examples of these behaviors include
drinking and smoking. Other behaviors without commitment that
juveniles may engage in include watching television and spending
too much time watching movies.

Although most people attach no harm to these activities, research

has proven that the more time peers spend watching television, the
more likely they are to engage in delinquent behaviors (Mandel 1).

Family influence is another factor that has been proven to

contribute to juvenile delinquency. It is even suspected that family
influence contributes to delinquent behavior more than peer
pressure. Research has proven that families in which there is no
strong emotional bonding tend to have juveniles who turn out to be
delinquent.

The reason is that the juveniles may develop psychological problems

like rejection and low self-esteem, leading to delinquent behavior.
Other causes of psychological problems like trauma and low self-
esteem are also linked to delinquency. The two can originate from
sources outside the family.

Children abused or exposed to family violence are likely to be

delinquents. Some studies have linked genes to delinquency, arguing
that children whom criminals and drug addicts raise are likely to
become delinquent. Another risk is a family in which there are no
effective communication channels. Children raised in this kind of
family may have issues they want to address, but they may lack an
audience.

This cause is likely to make them result in delinquent behavior. Non-

traditional families like reconstituted families and single-parent
families may also be a factor. Research has shown that children
raised by single parents or divorcees tend to be more delinquent
than their counterparts raised in traditional families (Mandel 1).

Race is a significant factor in predicting delinquent behavior. The

main reason why race is a determinant factor for delinquency is that
minority groups are not accorded the same treatment as other
races. This makes them live disgruntled lives, which may make them
have delinquent behavior.

Once the delinquency trend is set in a certain race, peer influence

fuels recidivism and fresh offense. It is important to note that
numerous scholars argue that race is not the factor, but racism is
(Mandel 1).

Effects of Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency is a big problem that affects not only the
victims of the delinquents but also the juvenile delinquents
themselves, their families, and even society as a whole. Juvenile
delinquents may not be able to predict the effect of their crimes on
themselves, but, as stated, they are seriously affected by these
crimes.

Most of these crimes make the juvenile lose his/her freedom

because he/she may be placed on probation or even incarcerated.
This will also affect the academic welfare of the juvenile because he
or she will miss academic activities that will take place during
probation or incarceration.

In cases where the juvenile is placed in a residential center for the

detention of juveniles, he/she may be influenced by more
experienced juvenile delinquents (Barker 1). It will make the juvenile
more likely to recidivate and suffer re-offense consequences. The
delinquency of the minor may even dictate his or her career choices
in the future.

The trauma of having a juvenile delinquent in a family can create

instability for other family members. The family has to meet the
needs of the juvenile in trouble and raise lawyer’s fees. The family
also has an ethical obligation to the victim of the delinquent.
Families are required to attend counseling sessions as a group. This
is usually costly and disruptive (Barker 1).
Juvenile delinquency is closely related to sexual behavior, drug use,
gang involvement, etc. All these negatively affect the community
because it makes the community unsafe and makes the government
spend colossal sums of money on school safety and law
enforcement.

As stated, juvenile delinquency has severe effects on some societal

groups. It, therefore, affects society negatively by affecting the
community, families, individuals, etc. The problem also challenges
government agencies, organizations, educators, faith communities,
and politicians (Barker 1).

Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency

Due to the contribution of family influence to juvenile delinquent
behavior, it is vital to ensure that families positively impact children.
This can be achieved by ensuring strong emotional bonding in the
family and by laying out effective strategies for communication.

Children raised by families that do not conform to the traditional

family should be closely watched to curb the development of
delinquent behavior. Schools should also ensure that they know the
backgrounds of children in order to fill the gaps that may be left by
the parents (Saminsky 1). For instance, teachers can help to counsel
a child who witnesses violence at home or a child whose parent is a
criminal.

Parents should ensure that they closely monitor the kind of

company that their children keep. They should ensure their children
engage in productive social activities (Saminsky 1). These measures
will help reduce the chances of their children becoming delinquents.
In school, teachers should keep a close eye on pupils to ensure that
they know their activities.

Pupils should be appropriately searched in school to ensure they do

not carry guns and drugs. This step will ensure that delinquent
pupils do not influence others. It will also help identify delinquent
children so they can be counseled or even sent for correctional
services.

Although controversial, another way of preventing delinquency is

reducing or eradicating racism. This method will target delinquents
in minority groups. It will help reduce the number of juveniles in
these minority groups who commit offenses because they will not
commit racism-inspired crimes.

It will also help boost teenagers’ self-esteem in these minority

groups. Thus instances of offenses caused by low self-esteem will
be limited in these minority groups (Saminsky 1).

Solutions to Juvenile Delinquency

The best way to reduce the number of delinquency cases is by using
the preventative measures outlined in the paragraph above. The
preventative measures should be holistic in the sense that they
should include all the people in the lives of the juveniles.

The juveniles should be monitored and guided while at home and

counseled and monitored while in school. Juveniles who are at high
risk of developing delinquent behavior should be watched closely
and given special treatment so that they do not end up offending
(Rose 1).

Another way of reducing the number of delinquency cases is by

reducing the rates at which juvenile delinquents recidivate. It can be
achieved by having legislation that ensures that juveniles are
corrected differently and in facilities different from the ones used
for adult correction.

The reason is that, from the statistics section, juveniles corrected in

the same facilities as adult offenders are more likely to recidivate
than their counterparts in juvenile facilities. The recidivism rates of
young offenders can also be reduced by having a program to correct
delinquents. This is most appropriately implemented while the
delinquents are in custody.
The program should be holistic, and thus it should consist of
counseling services offered by a psychologist, recreational facilities,
and training (Rose 1). The counseling services will give a platform in
which the juveniles can freely share their experiences, and thus their
healing process can be sped up.

The recreational facilities will give the juveniles alternative hobbies

that will occupy their time after they are released from custody.
Thus they will have less time to consider re-offending. Lastly, the
training will equip the juvenile who may have quit school with
entrepreneurial skills that they can utilize to make money after they
are released from custody. It will, therefore, help to reduce the
number of cases where juveniles re-offend due to financial
problems.

Juvenile delinquency can also be reduced by effective policing that

will ensure that community criminals do not recruit juveniles into
crime. It is common to hear of gangs using schoolchildren to market
drugs and carry assault weapons. This practice should be
discouraged by vigilance from parents and teachers and effective
community policing.

Effects and Causes of Juvenile

Delinquency: Essay Conclusion
From the discussion above, it is clear that delinquency is an
enormous societal problem. Juvenile delinquency is caused by
several factors, including peer influence, influence by the juvenile’s
family, race, and other related factors like low self-esteem and
trauma.

The effects of delinquency are far-reaching, and they, therefore,

affect the community, victims of the delinquent, society as a whole,
and even the delinquents themselves. Therefore, it is vital to
address this issue to reduce the rates of offense and re-offense.
Several interventions can be used to prevent and reduce
delinquency and recidivism. These interventions can be
implemented in the family, school, or even correctional facilities.
School and family-level interventions are mainly aimed at preventing
recidivism, while the interventions implemented at correctional
facilities are aimed at reducing recidivism.

Thus, these interventions must be taken seriously to reduce the

number of delinquents in society. This will, in turn, reduce the
number of delinquency victims, the number of affected families, and
the amount of resources that the government will spend on law
enforcement and correctional services. Therefore, it will lead to a
better society.

Works Cited
Barker, Leslie. “The Effects of Juvenile Delinquency”. Ehow.com.
2011.

Juvenile Justice. “Basic Statistics”. Pbs.org. 2011.

Mandel, Sharon. “What Causes Juvenile Delinquency?”

Filthylucre.com. 2008.

Rose, Nancy. “The Solution to Juvenile Delinquency is Simple”.

Public.asu.edu. 2010.

Saminsky, Alina. “Preventing Juvenile Delinquency: Early Intervention

and Comprehensiveness as Critical Factors”. Studentpulse.com. 2011.