Introduction
The juvenile justice system, founded in the United States roughly a century ago, is a system in which they are set to be delinquents instead of charging children with crimes. Declaring the kid’s delinquents involves not sending the juvenile kids to jail but training schools or reformatory institutions. Although the operation of juvenile courts varies by county and municipality within a state, changes in legislation may not always translate into changes (Blomberg & Pesta, 2017). Thus, this article will explore the issues of delinquent-related causes, delinquency prevention, delinquency treatment, and the parallels between the prevention and treatment of juvenile offenders. This essay will examine the essential concepts of these fields and how successful therapies may be in rehabilitating juveniles whose chances of committing a crime are significantly reduced due to crime occurring frequently.
Factors Affecting Delinquency
The interactions and relationships that children and adolescents have with their families and peers impact the development of antisocial behavior and delinquency. Even though familial bonds are important throughout early development, they may have long-term implications. Similarly, peer relationships grow more vital during early adolescence (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). Most Western cultures impose a significant amount of responsibility on families by entrusting them with the responsibility of childrearing. Parents in such cultures are tasked with raising their children to comply with society’s norms of acceptable behavior. As a result, it should be no surprise that adolescent misbehavior is often to blame when families cannot complete the task. As a result, family structure and family functioning are two major categories that have been utilized to investigate the impacts of the family on delinquent behavior (Donnelly, 2017). First, it is essential to address the topic of processes via which it is conceivable that, in addition to the family structure itself, other components increase the risk of delinquency before proceeding to the repercussions of family structure (Blomberg & Pesta, 2017). As an alternative, a particular family structure may raise the likelihood of failure, but only as one more stressor in a long chain of stressors, it is possible that the total number of stressors, rather than their precise form, is harmful
Growing up in a divorced or separated family has long been recognized as a risk factor for delinquency. While several studies have shown a relationship between broken households and criminal behavior, the exact nature of the connection is still being contested (Parsloe, 2017). Longitudinal studies, for example, have shown an increase in conduct disorder and behavioral disruption among the children of divorced parents before the divorce (MacIver, 2017). Furthermore, the parents’ antisocial tendencies and disrupted parenting styles explain the apparent impacts of divorce and remarriage. As a result, the higher risk of delinquency among children from broken households is more likely to be connected to the family conflict before the divorce or separation than the family split itself.
Living in a single-parent family has been linked to an increased likelihood of delinquency and antisocial conduct. When single-parent households’ socioeconomic situations and other dangers, such as disciplinary techniques and difficulty supervising and monitoring children, are evaluated, it is determined that these additional variables are accountable for the observed differences in their children’s results (Kratcoski et al., 2019). The absence of variations in delinquency rates between children raised by single parents and children raised by two parents at comparable socioeconomic levels demonstrates the critical importance of socioeconomic circumstances (Guarino-Ghezzi & Loughran, 2017). In the United States, juvenile court cases have shown that economic factors, not family composition, influence children’s crime. Statistical adjustments for mothers’ age and poverty have eliminated the impacts of single-parent households.
Children raised in single-parent families are more likely to encounter extra risk factors for crime, such as frequent father figure changes. Inadequate supervision, for example, has been related to the development of delinquency (Goshe, 2019). Numerous studies have shown that children born to teenage mothers are at an increased risk of becoming chronic juvenile offenders. Similarly, antisocial conduct raises teenagers’ probability of becoming teen mothers. Pregnant teen women are more likely to be impoverished, live in poverty, and have fewer educational options than older moms (Emerson, 2017). In addition, children reared in prominent families were born to mothers who had begun childbearing while they were teenagers or young adults. Those raised in big households with four or more children are more likely to become criminals than those reared in smaller homes (Feld, 2017). Because of this research, it is clear that big family sizes are associated with inadequate child discipline and supervision, which results in delinquent children.
Children who grow up in intact, two-parent families may lack the required supervision, training, and advocacy to ensure a positive developmental trajectory throughout their lives. Ineffective parental control and disciplinary measures have been connected to the development of delinquent behavior in children (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). According to the National Center for Children in Need of Services, programs that alter parental management techniques may benefit siblings while simultaneously reducing delinquent conduct on the part of the child whose behavior attracted the parents’ attention to the program (Donnelly, 2017). It has been shown that mistreatment and neglect of children might lead to the development of delinquent behavior in later life (Donnelly, 2017). Youngsters who have been abused or neglected commit crimes at a younger age than non-abused or neglected children. As children, victims of abuse and neglect are more likely to be arrested for aggressive behavior. Similarly, parents who do not monitor their young children continually are less likely to prevent destructive or other undesirable conduct and are more likely to reprimand them. In contrast, parents who are unaware of their children’s expectations may communicate inconsistently and confusingly (Blomberg & Pesta, 2017). Thus, children with antisocial parents are more likely to engage in aggressive, antisocial, and delinquent conduct.
Growing up in a hostile environment enhances a young person’s risk of engaging in severe criminal behavior since there is a correlation between specific residential communities and high youth crime rates. Similarly, neighborhood and adolescent crime correlations may be explained by various factors (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). While further study is necessary to better understand the processes at work, the connection between the neighborhood environment and severe teenage crime is sufficiently apparent to emphasize the importance of neighborhood variables in preventive and control efforts. For example, community characteristics reflect the inequitable spatial distribution of criminal activity (Feld, 2017). Similarly, human development research repeatedly indicates that the environment has a significant role in evolving antisocial and illegal conduct. Since there is a disagreement on how personal variables and the environment interact throughout human development, there is an essential aspect of developmental processes that involves continuous interaction between person and environment across time (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). Thus, living in a neighborhood with a high incidence of poverty and crime raises the probability of all children being involved in major crimes.
Other parts of the environment have been explored as potential risk factors for offending, including drug markets, gun availability, and the effect of media violence. The low price of crack attracted many low-income individuals who could only afford one hit at a time (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). These circumstances contributed to a rise in drug transactions and the demand for more dealers, which increased the number of minors reported to be carrying weapons. However, the vast majority said that they had guns primarily for self-defense or protection, and youths who lived in locations with a high incidence of shootings were far more likely to carry a firearm. Similarly, societal worry about the role of the media in encouraging poor behavior is as ancient as concern about children’s socialization (Blomberg & Pesta, 2017). This enhances the possibility that youngsters will imitate this behavior, whether it is shown in real-life pictures or cartoons. It has been shown that exposure to media violence increases fear of victimization and desensitizes witnesses to the impacts of violence. Similarly, violent video games have a detrimental influence on players’ conduct by raising their negative outlooks (Donnelly, 2017). These factors contribute to various environmental factors that may affect the development of delinquency in young children.
Prevention
Criminal justice professionals have the chance to make a difference in the lives of many youngsters via delinquency prevention. These initiatives take place in communities to assist in the reduction and control of criminal behavior. Individuals, family, peers, schools, and districts are well-known risk factors for juvenile misbehavior (MacIver, 2017). Individual risk factors include antisocial behavior throughout childhood, impaired cognitive development, hyperactivity, and emotional concerns such as mental health problems. Risk variables found include peer factors associated with deviant peers and peer rejection (Guarino-Ghezzi & Loughran, 2017). A youngster raised in a chaotic or abusive environment is more prone to irrational flight-or-fight reactions. Additionally, someone who lacks self-control under duress has a stronger propensity for aggression. According to social studies, there is a high correlation between childhood maltreatment, neglect, and delinquent conduct (Kratcoski et al., 2019). A history of child abuse and neglect enhances one’s chances of being arrested as a juvenile. While a delinquent peer group impacts the most significant risk factor for delinquency, an outstanding peer group influences delinquency’s most potent risk factor in delinquency prevention and intervention (Parsloe, 2017). Thus, the most successful strategies for reducing juvenile delinquency include cooperation between schools and communities, safe learning environments, family participation, and early literacy development.
Treatment
Effective treatment of teenage drug abusers often necessitates the employment of a family-based strategy. A successful delinquency treatment plan must include a functional family therapy program, a multidimensional family therapy program, and a multisystemic therapy program (Guarino-Ghezzi & Loughran, 2017). Significant efforts are being made in delinquency therapy to provide high-quality treatment for youth who have committed assault, murder, or rape. These programs offer hope, help rebuild families, and decrease juvenile/delinquent maltreatment and delinquent behavior. Juveniles in the criminal justice system have often struggled with various concerns, including drug misuse, academic failure, mental distress, physical health problems, domestic troubles, and a history of physical or sexual abuse (Goshe, 2019). Children and adolescents must have access to comprehensive assessment, counseling, case management, and support services that are age and developmental stage appropriate to address these challenges successfully (Feld, 2017). Alternatives to incarceration for substance abusers include adolescent drug courts, community-based monitoring, and community re-entry. Families have a crucial role in rehabilitating substance-abusing teenagers, regardless of whether their engagement is good or detrimental. Assessment is critical because not every teenager who has taken drugs requires therapy (Feld, 2017). Multisystemic, multidimensional family, and functional family therapy are effective therapeutic modalities.
Proposed Solution
Academic performance, truancy, and early school leaving are all associated with delinquency. Specific instructional strategies may exacerbate the problems described above. According to the research findings on grade retention and monitoring and suspension and expulsion disciplinary procedures, such restrictions have a higher negative impact than a constructive one (Emerson, 2017). Monitoring and grade retention have hurt students academic achievement who were already failing academically before this. Furthermore, comparing kids in high-track schools to students in similar non-tracking schools has shown that tracking does not improve academic attainment (Donnelly, 2017). However, suspension and expulsion take away kids’ educational opportunities in the name of discipline, but they have had little impact on curbing school misbehavior in recent years. In terms of the effect of these regulations on the other students at the school, there is little evidence available (Emerson, 2017). Because of the disproportionate impact of these policies on minorities, they may unintentionally reinforce negative stereotypes.
Proposal: Establishing federal efforts to promote alternatives to grade retention and monitoring in educational settings is necessary. Given that school failure is a risk factor for delinquent behavior, there has been a minimal study on school restrictions such as monitoring, grade retention, suspension, and expulsion on general delinquent behavior. Assessments of school practices and policies must consider the consequences of these practices and procedures on violent and antisocial conduct and delinquency (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). This study is especially relevant, considering the widespread concern about school violence. The impacts of tracking on children and adolescents should be studied on all tracks, not simply those with modest speeds.
Proposal: A comprehensive examination of the consequences of school policies and instructional techniques such as grade retention, tracking, suspension, and expulsion is necessary. This assessment should include data on the impact of such measures on delinquency and educational achievement, and the school climate and environment (Dragomir & Tadros, 2020). Prenatal exposure to alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and nicotine has been linked to hyperactivity, attention deficit, impulsivity, and risk factors for later antisocial and criminal conduct. Physical abuse during pregnancy may profoundly affect the child’s development. As a result, prenatal prevention interventions may provide significant advantages, including avoiding fetal exposure to alcohol and drugs (Blomberg & Pesta, 2017). Reduced alcohol and drug abuse may result in enhanced parenting abilities, reducing family-related delinquent risk factors in pregnant parents.
Proposal: Federal, state, and local governments should take action to prevent drug use by pregnant women, especially adolescents, which includes alcohol and cigarette use. A longitudinal study of delinquent behavior should be conducted early in a child’s school experience to understand their development better (Parsloe, 2017). Although it seems that earlier development leads to the emergence of challenges during the early school years, further study is necessary to validate this (Donnelly, 2017). There is much doubt about the feasibility of early detection of possible problems.
Proposal: Prospective longitudinal research should be used to further our understanding of prenatal, perinatal, and early infant development factors in supporting healthy and antisocial behavior development. The more risk factors present, the higher the probability of delinquency (Donnelly, 2017). However, it is unknown to what degree individual risk variables or combinations of risk factors have a more significant impact on the development of delinquency than other risk factors or combinations of risk factors. Additionally, the timing, intensity, and duration of risk variables, combined with an individual’s age, gender, and environment, virtually always impact behavioral consequences (Parsloe, 2017). As a result, a better knowledge of the interactions between risk variables is critical for establishing preventative programs, particularly in high-risk locations.
Proposal: The study on risk factors for delinquency must emphasize the implications of interactions between numerous risk factors. It is necessary to research the impacts of neighborhood features and their interactions with individual and family conditions. The answer proposes the following areas for additional inquiry to better understand delinquency’s progression. Language development research and the effect of delayed or inadequate language development on the onset of violent and antisocial behavior, including delinquent behavior, are two areas of research that should be performed (Kratcoski et al., 2019). Similarly, studies should be conducted to identify whether children and adolescents have access to firearms, particularly pistols, and whether this access affects their views toward or fear of crime (MacIver, 2017). The early development of physical aggression control and ways to increase children’s and adolescents’ protective factors and the early development of physical aggression control should be explored.
Conclusion
Prevention and therapy are critical components of the juvenile justice system to ensure that these adolescents do not end up in the system. They will never be flagged as duplicate entry in the system. These components are critical to the success of these programs because they emphasize skill development, habilitation, rehabilitation, meeting treatment requirements, and successfully reintegrating kids into the community. The juvenile justice system attempts to delve deeper into what motivated the youngster to perform delinquent behaviors and the source of the issue. Juveniles commit various criminal behaviors, including drug violations, and crimes against individuals, property, and public order. The significance of prevention and therapy is their potential to steer at-risk adolescents in a more positive direction in life.
Delinquency prevention initiatives are an excellent financial investment that will help keep America’s future. Curfews, choirs, and restricting the amount of time they can spend away from home can deter kids from undertaking criminal activities. Supporting a kid is critical since a sound support system may help keep the youngster safe and happy. A parent actively engaged in all aspects of their children’s lives has a lower risk of their kid engaging in delinquent behavior. Thus, parents should not wait until their kid is in legal trouble to intervene. Similarly, involvement after the arrest is critical to the child’s welfare. A parent should retain the services of an attorney if their kid is ever placed in the juvenile court system. The juvenile system’s goal with these programs is for juveniles to enter a better state than when they started. These programs give direction to adolescents who previously lacked it due to their involvement with the juvenile court system. Proper treatment, medicine, and direction may significantly improve juveniles’ lives and prepare them to be law-abiding citizens.
References
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