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Juvenile Delinquency Essay, Research Paper

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The issue of juvenile delinquency and the social environment is one of major concerns to schools and society as a whole. There has been an influx of juvenile delinquents in today’s society, ranging from school violence, to gangs. Juvenile delinquency is prevalent across the nation, it is cross cultural and cross racial, it knows no colors. Juvenile crimes has increased in numbers and in severity. There is no doubt that various experts can give us many theories as to the causes of juvenile delinquency, including one’s background, and delinquent peer groups, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic in America, today one must have a driver’s license to operate a vehicle, but one does not have to have training or a license in order to become a parent. Today many parents have already contributed to the ever increasing problem of juvenile delinquency simply by not knowing how to be parents.

There are many reasons for the widespread crisis in families today. Below are some of those causes:

Changes in the Social Environment- Their have been many changes in our social environment over the last twenty five years (”About parenting,” 1996, p. 3 ). These changes have made a risky environment over today’s youth. Children and teenagers spend more time with peer groups than ever before. Illicit and explicit sexuality and violence are the main subjects of choice in the media, and the impact of media influence has widened(”About parenting,” 1996, p. 3 ).

Changes in Family Structure and Functioning- The prevalence of divorce and the increasing number of adults who provide interactions, structure and supervision in a child’s life(”About parenting,” 1996, p. 3 ).

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Confusion About Parent Roles and Parent Control- When children reach adolescence, conflict

between parents and teens normally increases as teens need to distance themselves from parental identity to establish their own identity(”About parenting,” 1996, p. 4 ).

There are many parenting styles, but experts say that there are generally three parenting styles that conflicts during adolescence. Below are the three parenting styles that contribute to juvenile delinquency:

The authoritarian parent tends to emphasize rules with very harsh consequences(”About parenting,” 1996, p. 7 ). There is little room for discussion or negotiation(”About parenting,” 1996, p. 7 ).

The indulgent parent tends to spoil the child and expects little or no responsibility at home, choosing to clean up after the child both at home and in his social misbehavior(”About parenting,” 1996 p. 7 ).

The indifferent parent is so preoccupied with his or her own life and activities that little time and energy is given to either involvement or structure(”About parenting,” 1996 p. 8 ).

The type of parenting that is said to work is simply called authoritative parenting. This type of parent assumes a role of authority in the child’s life, but the rules and structure are sensible and flexible to accommodate the child’s growth towards adolescence and young adulthood(”About parenting,” 1996 p. 8 – 9 ). The parent’s intelligent explanations of rules plus reasonable enforcement help to maintain a steady reduction of control as the child matures.

Studies have been made to determine the causes of juvenile delinquency. Many of the studies

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have focused on family relationships. In one study, comparing delinquent and non-delinquent youths, by Lotz in nineteen eighty-five, showed that over ninety percent of the delinquents had unhappy lives and felt discontented with their life circumstances(p. 55 ). Only thirteen percent of the non-delinquent youths felt the same(p. 55 ). This particular study is what brought about my conclusion that the breakdown of families is the number one cause of juvenile delinquency.

The issue of school violence is not a new phenomenon. Traces of school violence can be dated back as far as the 1950s, when the problem was not discipline(Shaw, 1969 p. 20 ). During the fifty’s a disagreement between two students most likely would have been settled the old-fashion way, with a fist fight. Today the possibility that a disagreement among students will be settled with some type of with some type of weapon rather than a fist fight. A major difference between violence in the schools in the fifty’s and the ninety’s is the presence and use of weapons, especially guns. We as americans in today’s society have noticed that the lives of many innocent adolescents and adults have been taken in the hands of other students at school. Violence in schools is not unique to public schools or to the nations urban communities. It has been striking in the past years due to the fact that it is beginning to hit suburban communities right at home. According to the US Department of Justice, public, private, and nonsectarian schools have all experienced an increase in school violence( Stencel, 1998, p. 887). In there studies they have found that nine percent of public, seven percent of private and six percent of nonsectarian school students have reported being victims of school violence, and it is increasing daily (Stencel, 1998, p. 887 ). The percentage of students that are afraid to attend school on a daily basis has increased in every community across the nation, with twenty four percent of urban students,

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twenty percent suburban students(Stencel, 1998, p. 887 ). In the late nineteen ninety’s the US Department of justice have found that being victimized in school is something that not only plagues the junior high and high school students, but it is something that

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