A juvenile delinquent is a minor who has committed a crime. The minor is always under the age of eighteen and it is considered that the minor has no responsibility and therefore he or she cannot be given judgment as an adult. In some American states they have reduced their age to 14 but in Africa the age is below 21 years. Currently many young people are struggling with the question of identity. The norms that used to guide the pattern of how the minors were to behave are deteriorating. The values that were the pillars of the society are no more.
The current lifestyle is changing and this is leading many young people wrong behavior. The rate of unemployment that is high and economic times has caused many young people in these regions to engage drugs. Most of the crimes tackled in the courts are related to drugs. Also due to the rapid population growth has forced the youths to engage themselves in illegal activities (La Verne College & University of La Verne, 1977) . Other factors include poor housing, parental alcoholism, HIV/AIDS, breakdown of family and death of parents during armed conflict. The young people resort to crimes to escape from the realities of life.
In Africa the delinquents are widespread and it is mainly because of family disturbance, peer group influence, technology, government policies and ethnicity. It also happens in Africa because of lack of good parenting skills, few employment opportunities and limited learning facilities. The juvenile case he reduced in Africa as compared to the previous years because governments are putting in place legislations to reduce these numbers from going higher. In Australia the numbers are high too. The statistics indicate that in 2011, 7250 were undergoing supervision in a community based program .This shows that many young people in Australia are under community supervision. Most of these young people undergoing supervision have never been in detention.
In Asia and New Zealand, the juvenile delinquents are many. These are developed countries but it is the worst hit. The children here get to get exposed earlier because of technology and their education system. When children reach the adolescent age they start to struggle with identity crises and they learn from their peers. Parents are busy held up in their busy schedules and without noticing, their children are involved in crimes. Urbanization also leads to crime, the minors get to learn about crime at an early age and they tend to identify themselves with the perpetrators of crime and they find themselves participating in the crime.
Violence against minors violates their rights and therefore every government should use all means and resources to ensure that this menace of juvenile delinquency is brought to a stop. By doing so, the rate of crimes in the society will be reduced to a minimum. This is because intervening early may stop a group or an individual who had plans of breaking the law from doing so (Shoemaker, 2009). The programs that can help to reduce include training the adolescents on the disadvantages of drugs and alcoholism. Parents should teach their children at home the good morals and values that will propel them to be good citizens of their beloved countries. By doing so the crime rates will reduce and what could be channeled on these juvenile cases can be used to do other things of national importance. Everyone should be involved in the fight against crime for a safer world.
References
La Verne College. & University of La Verne. (1977). Journal of juvenile law. La Verne, Calif.: La Verne College Law Center.
Shoemaker, D. J. (2009). Juvenile delinquency. Lanham, Md: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
