In the United States, the crime rate is increasing each day. Although many may believe that only adults are executing this criminal activity, and that is entirely not true. Juvenile crime has been a problem in the United States for many years and is still a main factor to the growing crime rates in cities across the United States.
Many factors of these adolescences lives contribute to their actions. Such as, drug use, their communities, their peers and also their families.Juvenile crime does not always fall under the category of harming another person such as assault, murder or rape. Juvenile crime is broken down in many different ways. Such as, Status Offender which is defined in, Criminal Justice in Action by Larry K. Gaines and Roger Leroy Miller as, a juvenile who has engaged in behavior deemed unacceptable for those under a certain statutorily determined age.
These actions can be under age drinking, smoking marijuana and/or smoking cigarettes, skipping school, and running away from home.Juvenile run aways, are becoming very common in the United States. Many of these run aways suffer from higher rates of depression, physical and sexual abuse, and alcohol and drug abuse. A recent case of a juvenile run away was a sixteen-year old girl from New Jersey who reported on a social networking site that there was an intruder in her house, but in reality she ran away from home, this caused a panic all over the United States, and her story was brought to the news and search crews were sent out to look for her.According to nbcnews. com the New Jersey girls’ case was deemed foul play and she was found safe a few days later.
The story of this sixteen-year old girl shows that not all delinquents are a harm to others and also that many of these crimes, are a cry for help. Some other forms of acting out include shoplifting; vandalism, and graffiti, these are just a few of non-violent crimes. Many of these crimes are executed by groups of young adults; this is how gang activity begins. Adolescents flock to gangs and gang activity, because they see it has a family they never had.Teens and young adults who come from broken homes, lack parental guidance or come from a home where drug and alcohol abuse is present feel as if they have no one and feel that a gang can offer them they fulfillness they desire. Gangs will guide their new members into alcohol, drug usage, and heightened levels of violent crime.
Gangs are responsible for a large number of the violent crimes that are committed each year. According to the Office of Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention, in 2011, there were 5,804 arrests for every 100,000 youths ages 10 through 17 in the United States.Some statistics also state that males are the only sex involved in gang and juvenile activity, but in 2010 female delinquents made up twenty-four percent of all arrests, some of which were violent crimes (Criminal Justice in Action, 511). Many of these Males and Females may begin to rebel and become involved in juvenile behavior because they want acceptance from their peers, whether it be drinking, smoking and even steeling both young girls and boys want acceptance from those around them. Peer pressure and bullying are two main contributors to juvenile activity.A young persons self-identity and self-worth are profoundly shaped by how they believe their peers perceive them.
Age is also reason that young adults explore juvenile activities. A young adult may first see juvenile behavior in school, this is also known as Age of Onset (Criminal Justice in Action, 514). This is the age that a juvenile first sees criminal behavior. Middle school and high school aged children are more likely to be introduced to criminal behavior because this is the age where most search for acceptance.These young adults who are having a hard time in school whether it is because they suffer from a learning disability, or have bad relationships with their teachers act out because, children who are Learning disabled are labeled by teachers and peers as different, which may alienate them from "normal society”.
A study conducted by The National Center for State Courts found that 36% of incarcerated juveniles suffered from learning disabilities. (Brier, 2001). Bullying has become a fast growing issue in schools across the United States.Young adults who are bullied turn their feelings into aggressive behavior, which can and has turned into violent crime. A violent crime caused by bullying was the Columbine High School massacre.
On April 20th, 1999 Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered thirteen students, both of these young men were bullied constantly and decided to seek “revenge” on their peers. According to scholastic. com the number of juvenile murders have been increasing too 1,000-3,000 arrests each year since 2005. Family and the home life of adolescents contribute to how they act in society.A child who comes from a home where abuse is inflicted upon them or they have witnessed acts of violence, are more likely to become involved in delinquent behavior.
Children develop these behaviors through imitation of their elders. Substance abuse and delinquency go hand in hand, young adults who come from abuse that has been inflicted upon them at an early age face outcomes such as behavioral problems, developmental delays, and changes in brain function that may permanently alter the way that individuals respond to environmental stimuli.Dr. Gene L.
Usdin states that mistreatment of a child can expose them to a future of self destructive and aggressive behavior. (Adolescence; Care and Counseling, 95). Besides a child shadowing abusive behavior they may also shadow the behavior of a drug or alcohol addicted parent. Delinquents who turn to drugs or alcohol use it as a coping mechanism. When a juvenile first commits a crime they are most likely under the influence because they had to build up the confidence to commit the crime, violent or non-violent.
The community where a child is raised plays a large role of how the child will face everyday life.In urban cities juvenile crime is a growing problem. In many cases of juvenile crime the Social Disorganization Theory which is the theory that deviant behavior is more likely to occur in communities where social institutions such as, family, school and the criminal justice system fail to guide the younger population (Criminal Justice in Action, 43), is very true. In these communities there is no where to go for the young adults such as after school activities or a community activity center, and this is how they are introduced to criminal behavior such as car theft, selling drugs, gun violence and assault.
The use of guns are creating growing numbers of homicides all over the country, since the mid 90s, about 82% of all murders committed by delinquents involved a gun (Criminal Justice in Action, 518). Statistics show that many of the young adults from these communities also come from homes with single parents, and because of this these young adults are allowed to live a free and undisciplined life in the streets of neglected city districts.They have become assured that the proper way of living is the one they experience there and this is why they try and justify their crimes. Our society incorporates violence into nearly every aspect of its existence.
The newspaper and the television give us details of the latest violent crimes, and often these crimes involve children. These contributing factors are proof that the juvenile crime rate will continue to grow because; today’s youth believe that criminal activity is an accepted behavior, and in some cases such as their family and school environment juvenile crime has become there only outlet.
