Juvenile_Delinquency

Juvenile Delinquency: The causes and how it should be handled. By: Ian Davis Abstract: What causes today's youth to commit crimes is a combination of how the child is raised and in what environment he is raised in. Delinquent juveniles should not be punished as severely as adults because they are not fully aware of the audacity of the crime. Ian Davis 12/15/2010 Ms. Muraskin Juvenile Delinquency Research Paper In it's most basic form, juvenile delinquency is and when someone who is considered a minor, commits a crime. Although, delves much deeper than this this. How can an innocent youth be as corrupted to break the law' When a minor commits a crime, is it ethical to charge him as if he were an adult' Juvenile delinquency does not occur without reason, in most cases it is caused by a string of problems. A child's personality is made up from combination of hereditary traits and traits he obtains from his environment. Therefore for a minor to commit a crime, he not only needs to have the genetic tendency to break the law but also to be raised in an environment where crime is an element. Just as a boy that is genetically predisposed to break the law will most likely not if raised in an environment where crime is rare. A boy that is raised in a unstable and dangerous environment will most likely not commit a crime if its not in his genes. Unfortunately, in most cases the child is exposed to a dangerous environment because of the parents poor decisions. The poor decision making skills are then passed on to the child, and having both factors present leads to juvenile delinquency. It is hard for parents to recognize when their child is on the path to juvenile delinquency. In most cases parents just believe their son is going through a phase, as if he will grow out of it soon. When that child then does something wrong, he may not be reprimanded as harsh as he should be. This occurs because the parents of the child believe it will not be occurring much longer. Eventually penny larceny turns into grand larceny. Doing drugs turns into selling drugs. The child gets caught up in his negative environment until it comes to a screeching hault when the child is caught by the police. The human brain is not fully developed until around age 25. (Biggs) Therefore when a minor commits a crime, his brain is not fully developed. It would be unethical to charge a child with the same crime that would charged to an adult. For the same reason it is unethical to charge a mentally retarded person with the same crime as an adult. Both brains are not fully developed, they can not think as rationally as a fully developed brain can. Some children are thrown in negative environments from birth. Due to bad parenting or a lack of any parenting, a child can become emotionally malnourished. Also, growing up in a negative environment he will be most likely surrounded by gangs. A gang to the boy acts a safe haven where he can receive the nourishment he did not receive from his parents. Unfortunately the child is receiving nourishment from the wrong people and will do anything their gang members want them to do. The child is now obligated to commit crimes in the name of his gang in which he was raised. This paradox is what causes many children to break the law. (World Youth Report, 2003) There are many ways juvenile delinquency can be handled. By putting a child in jail society is throwing away his whole life. More rational and proactive methods have been developed. For example young delinquents can be sent to a rehabilitation center. There the child will receive nourishment and care, and eventually be transformed into a useful member of society. Putting children in jail is spending time and money to rot a young mind. Children should instead be put in a creative environment where they can transform themselves into something great. (Hau) Juvenile delinquency is a problem in society that has a solution. With the right steps, juvenile delinquency can be significantly lowered through positive environments and parental nourishment. Early prevention is the key to stopping juvenile delinquency. The first step on the path to stopping corrupted children is to realize that this is indeed a very relevant problem. A parent letting a child misbehave believing that it is just a phase is equally as bad as the child misbehaving. Community centers can provide a creative outlet to young minds that need to be occupied. Police officers cracking down on gangs could lower gang violence and prevent children from being sucked into the gang life style. Juvenile delinquency can be stopped. Citation Page Contributors' names (Last edited date). Title of resource. Retrieved from http://Web address for OWL resource 1. S. Venkatesh. Juvenile Delinquency. Retrieved from http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch07.pdf Abstract: Discusses the causes of juvenile delinquency. Also researches different ways to lower juvenile delinquency. Hanna Ginner Hau, Ann-Charlotte Smedler. Different problems – same treatment. Swedish juvenile offenders in community-based rehabilitative programmes. Retrieved from http://0-proquest.umi.com.opac.esboces.org/pqdweb'did=2202645641&sid=3&Fmt=2&clientId=19673&RQT=309&VName=PQD. Frank Donze. NORD's past is saluted as new course charted; Joining the lineup; Aiming 'to keep you informed'. Retrieved from http://0-proquest.umi.com.opac.esboces.org/pqdweb'did=2217032681&sid=3&Fmt=1&clientId=19673&RQT=309&VName=PQD.