Cause of Juvenile Delinquency: An Opinionated Approach

Jessica Boyd

May 23, 2012

CRJS 316 Chappelle

Cause of Juvenile Delinquency: An opinionated approach

Why do kids commit crime? This is a question that has plagued investigators of juvenile delinquency. From watching a documentary on juvenile delinquency there were some things I was able to conclude. It is apparent that these kids that commit crime because they are angry, hurt, and resentful from either family or others around them.

A lot of the juvenile delinquents in the video were angry. Most of them had a lot of anger towards immediate an family member or members. Whether it was because the family was absent or the fact that they felt the family just didn't care for them, the children in this documentary committed crimes in a cry for attention. Like any other normal child they just need to feel loved or wanted by someone and when they can't get this type of attention from home they lash out the only way that seems fit.

Also some of the delinquents in this story seemed to have a lot of pain. When interviewed they had stories that would break anyone's heart. Some had been raped, others abandoned at birth from the people they needed most in their life. This hurt for most of them was channeled into negative behavior because they lacked guidance, and had disregard for others and even they own well-being.

Resentment also seemed to be a feeling for some of these delinquents. From listening to these children talk it is apparent that some of them hold a lot of resentment towards their families or lack thereof. One of the girls said that she felt as if her mom put men before her own children, and because of that she felt as if her mom didn't care about or love her. This resentment ultimately made this young

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woman have a cold demeanor about her. Not only did she not think about her actions, but she didn't care about her own life and even tried to commit suicide on more than one occasion.

No one can say for sure what causes children/young adults to commit crime, but there it is apparent that these kids usually have other problems that usually drive them to be belligerent. Most of the time these kids have a lot of anger, hurt, or resentment from the things they have experienced in life and they channel these feelings and usually retaliate by committing illegal acts. It will probably never be a time when we can say that the youth is crime free, but it is our duty as parents and family to make sure our children feel loved, wanted, and protected by us as much as possible to keep them from developing ill feelings towards life.