How_Does_Poverty_and_the_Environment_Cause_or_Contribute_to_Juvenile_Delinquency_

How does poverty and the environment cause or contribute to juvenile delinquency' Poverty and the Environment Young people who are at risk of becoming delinquent often live in difficult circumstances. Children who for various reasons, including parental alcoholism, poverty, breakdown of family, abusive conditions in the home, housing and other basic necessities are at greater risk of falling into juvenile delinquency. Delinquent behavior often occurs in social settings in which the norms for acceptable behavior have broken down. Under such circumstances many of the common rules that deter people from committing socially unacceptable acts may lose relevance for some children in society. The physical surroundings that a child is exposed to daily demonstrate a direct correlation to their behavior problems. This includes their household, the schools they attend and the type of community they live in. Jarjoura, G.R., Teasdale, B & Cai, T (2002) All of these environments influence our behavior patterns and can have a lasting effect on the development of our youth. Just looking into some ones household you can see there are several factors that affect the behavior of progression, such as household income and the type of community we live in. The household income is a key factor in the negative development of our youth though it is usually poverty that is the culprit, not wealth. Jarjoura, Triplett, and Brinker state that "the level of exposure to poverty has an impact on the likelihood of delinquent involvement" and maintain that "the persistent poor, as a group, are distinguishable from the short-term poor in terms of the impact of poverty. Having experienced persistent poverty is related to a higher level of involvement in delinquency." (2002) This makes sense when you look at how someone living in poverty is treated. Children living in poverty have the same wants and needs of other children but may be living without. This makes them more likely to turn to crime to get the things they feel they need. Home structure has changed drastically over the past few decades, with this affecting the development of children. According to research conducted by Mennemeyer and Bisakha of the Southern Economic Journal "results indicate that overall, children living with both their biological parents in moderately happy or very happy marriages engage less frequently in undesirable behaviors than do other youths." (2006) It is not the same for single parent homes as there is much more strain on these families. According to the journal, Children's Services: Social Policy, Research & Practice, "not living with both biological parents increased the risk of maltreatment as well as delinquency by more than a factor of four" (Southamer-Loeber, Wei, Homish, & Loeber, 2002) in these homes. However, the single parent home is not the most risky environment out there. "The most criminogenic type of family appears to be the one in which neither natural parent is present," (Kierkus & Baer, 2002) including adoptive and foster care homes. Among these varied family structures are different types of relationships between the family members that impact the child's development as well. Research on the development of juvenile delinquency among children in foster care has been identified as a critical issue for children in this setting for more than two decades. In one of the first studies conducted in this area, it examined a historical cohort of 114 children in foster care between the ages of 11 and 18. Runyan (1985) Data on juvenile delinquency for these children were compared to a sample of children from traditional biological families. The results of this investigation demonstrated that, "Foster children were more likely to have committed criminal assault. Among foster children, increased number of foster home placements correlated with increased number of delinquency convictions.” Runyun (1985) According to Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, in an investigation of juvenile delinquency in foster care children, it is argued that children in this population are exposed to a negative sequence of social and emotional stress that place them at risk for becoming juvenile delinquents. Fisher & Chamberlain (2000) According to these researchers, children placed in foster care often exhibit higher levels of antisocial and aggressive behaviors than other children in stable homes. Fisher and Chamberlain argue that these antisocial behaviors are often predictive of poor peer interactions and the development of juvenile delinquency. As such, children placed in foster care will experience juvenile delinquency at higher rates than other groups of children living in the same community. Thus, the development of juvenile delinquency in foster care children clearly has distinct warning signs that can indicate the need for intervention. Given the overall vulnerability of children in foster care to the development of juvenile delinquency, it is not surprising to find that a review of the psychosocial histories of juvenile offenders demonstrates that many juvenile offenders come from foster homes. Campbell, Porter, and Santor (2004) tracked the social development of 226 male and female incarcerated juveniles. The results of this investigation demonstrate that only one psychosocial variable impacted outcomes for most incarcerated juveniles: a history of non-parental living arrangements-i.e. foster care. How to Change or Influence Juvenile Delinquency In my opinion, knowledge is power, and this allows for understanding, problem solving and both critical and abstract thought. It also opens the path to self, social and global awareness. This multileveled awareness can offer great opportunity for change in an individual, helping them see more complete "pictures" of their circumstances and providing greater understanding of what change is needed. Overall there needs to be more education available for the families that are at higher risks to have a juvenile delinquent. The earlier the training can begin the better chance the child will have to succeed in life. References Campbell, M.A., Porter, S., & Santor, D. (2004). Psychopathic traits in adolescent offenders: An evaluation of criminal history, clinical and psychosocial correlates. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 22(1), 23-47. Fisher, P.A., & Chamberlain, P. (2000). Multidimensional treatment foster care: A program for intensive parenting Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 8(3), 155-164. Jarjoura, G. R., Triplett, R. A., & Brinker, G. P. (2002). Growing Up Poor: Examining the Link between Persistent Childhood Poverty and Delinquency. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 18 (2), 159-187. Kierkus, C. A., & Baer, D. (2002). A social control explanation of the relationship between family structure and delinquent behavior. Canadian Journal of Criminology, 44 (4), p425-458. Mennemeyer, S. T., & Bisakha, S. (2006). Undesirable juvenile behavior and the quality of parental relationships. Southern Economic Journal. Runyan. D.K. (1985). Foster care for child maltreatment: Impact on delinquent behavior. Pediatrics, 75(3), 562-568. Southamer-Loeber, M., Wei, E. H., Homish, D. L., & Loeber, R. (2002). Which Family and Demographic Factors Are Related to Both Maltreatment and Persistent Serious Juvenile Delinquency' Children's Services: Social Policy, Research & Practice, 5 (4), 261-272.