Introduction
This research paper examines and discusses three aspects of juvenile crime. The first is the association between child abuse/neglect and juvenile delinquency and possible remedies. The second is how to deal with the growing social problem of juvenile gangs in the U.S., and third and final aspect is that of the link between low educational achievement and delinquency and the possible changes that could help overcome that problem.
The Research
The Link Between Child Abuse and Juvenile Crime. According to Widom (2002), the link between juvenile delinquency and violent behaviour has been increasingly recognized in the last two or three decades. She quoted one study in the Midwest in which a group of people who had suffered child abuse years earlier (now around 33 years old) were compared with a control group who had not been abused. The findings were that child abuse and/or neglect had increased the likelihood of juvenile arrest by 55 percent and the probability of being arrested for violent crime as a juvenile by no less than 96 percent! The same study also found that those abused / neglected youngsters on average became involved in juvenile crime circa one year earlier than their untroubled counterparts. There was also found to be a greater probability that the abused / neglected young people were more likely to end up as chronic offenders.
As Widom notes in her paper, early recognition of the abuse or neglect and appropriate intervention is important to prevent these abused or neglected children becoming young criminals – the sooner the better, as delay reduces the chances of success. However, she also cautions against increased attention causing those children to feel labelled as delinquents and so making it “a self-fulfilling prophecy.”
Part 2 of the above-referenced paper (Wiig, 2002) discusses a range of methods of dealing with the problem. The first is to aim for early identification of child behaviors and symptoms that might indicate there abuse and/or neglect is occurring, and to then implement a range of programs including parental guidance, support and education if required. Programs where at-risk families were closely supported have shown great success in reducing later child delinquency. However, in her concluding remarks, Wiig stresses that the greatest success can come from closer cooperation between all interested agencies and sharing of information across boundaries. In short – a reform of many of our present social systems and services is needed.
The Problem of Juvenile Gangs. Esbensen (2000) published A Juvenile Justice Bulletin on behalf of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, entitled: “Preventing Adolescent Gang Involvement.” Essentially, Esbensen’s researched conclusion is that because gang members coming from diverse backgrounds and socio-economic environments tend to engage in criminal activities once having joined a gang, the sensible proactive primary approach is to target all adolescents with preventative strategies, not just gang members. Having said that, he believes that a secondary strategy should be to target youngsters assessed to be most at risk of becoming gang members. Overall, he suggests that although no single strategy has proved effective, a comprehensive or multi-faceted approach may prove to be the most successful.
Low Educational Achievers and Delinquency. “The mystery of the school to prison pipeline” (Jan 2013) – an article by Prevention Action – discusses what it refers to as the well known link between “kids who struggle at school” and higher rates of juvenile delinquency and crime. “Special education” is used to help those who struggle at school and the article reports that the average 15-year old in such a program has the equivalent reading skill of a “normal” 10-year old. A research study undertaken by a team in Texas came to the depressing conclusion that “juvenile delinquency interventions are generally ineffective in improving academic outcomes.” So what is the answer? How can we help these academically-challenged youngsters catch up with their peers and as a consequence keep out of trouble with the law? The article’s authors suggest that what may be needed is for politicians and others involved in the decision-making process for criminal justice, plus educators, to put more resources into solving this problem.
Sander et al (2011) suggest that research and consequent policy changes are needed in order to integrate data from the education system with school psychology and juvenile justice resources. One of the problems with the current situation is – according to the authors – an intrinsic failure in many schools to recognize and identify students who should be classified as requiring special education assistance. There are also different standards state-to-state for classifying such students, which does not help. Students not quite bad enough (academically) to qualify for special education assistance may nonetheless feel emotional distress and possibly shame, making them feel inadequate and maybe isolated, too. That situation needs putting right, so that under-achievers are all given the help they need. Also, such students, if they do get in trouble with the law, are likely to miss a lot of schooling while held on remand, exacerbating their problem of low academic attainment. There is also mention of inadequate school environments and the emotional and mental problems of individual students contributing to this problem, but overall the authors suggest that more research is needed in many aspects of education and the juvenile justice system. It is a major concern that some school disciplinary policies further isolate those students that actually need help to get them back on the right track and away from crime. Just as with the previous two aspects discussed in this paper, the pressing need seems to be for much greater cooperation and sharing of information between all the agencies involved with our young people, so that more effective policies can be implemented.
References
Esbensen, Finn-Aage. (2000). “Preventing Adolescent Gang Involvement.” The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/182210.pdf
Sander, J., B., Sharkey, J., D., Fisher, A., L., Bates, S., & Herren, J., A. (2011). “COMMENTARY: School Policies, Academic Achievement, and General Strain Theory: Applications to Juvenile Justice Settings.” Journal of Juvenile Justice, Volume 1, Issue 1, Fall 2011. Retrieved from http://www.journalofjuvjustice.org/JOJJ0101/article08.htm
“The mystery of the school to prison pipeline.” (Jan 2013). Prevention Action. Retrieved from http://www.preventionaction.org/reviews/mystery-school-prison-pipeline/5930
Widom, Cathy, Spatz. (2002). “Understanding Child Maltreatment and Juvenile Deliquency: The Research.” Child Welfare League of America. Retrieved from http://www.cwla.org/programs/juvenilejustice/ucmjd03.pdf
Wiig, Janet. (2002). “Understanding Child Maltreatment and Juvenile Deliquency: Foundations for Effective Responses.” Child Welfare League of America. Retrieved from http://www.cwla.org/programs/juvenilejustice/ucmjd04.pdf
