Childhood Delinquency

Abuse is one of the major causes of juvenile delinquency. If we are focusing on specific types of child abuse leading to delinquency, we can start with maltreated children. Maltreated children are far more likely to become delinquent than your normal treated child. As young maltreated children mature they begin to experience problems in school, maltreated children are less inclined to engage in independent academic exploration and require outer motivation before they can initiate and engage in an educational task. They also exhibit poor work habits and receive lower grades in math and English during the elementary years. Maltreated children in foster care are more likely to receive special education services and are more likely than their normal treated peers to be held back. Studies have found that maltreated children are more likely to be retained in kindergarten and first grade than their non-maltreated peers, although some of these effects may be attributed to disruptions in schooling that result from involvement with Child Welfare Services.

Another type of child abuse is Neglect. Neglect is a pattern of failing to provide for a child's basic needs, whether it be adequate food, clothing, hygiene, or supervision. Child neglect is not always easy to spot. Sometimes, a parent might become physically or mentally unable to care for a child, such as with a serious injury, untreated depression, or anxiety. Other times, alcohol or drug abuse may seriously impair judgment and the ability to keep a child safe. Older children might not show outward signs of neglect, becoming used to presenting a competent face to the outside world, and even taking on the role of the parent. But at the end of the day, neglected children are not getting their physical and emotional needs met. A perfect example of a neglected child is a known gang member in your area. Parents fail to give their child the appropriate attention they desire, thus forcing them to go out and find attention from their closest peers. The notorious gangs located in and around the country is the "parent" that will give that neglected child the proper attention they desire. Gangs will tell a neglected child exactly what they would like to hear and get them to start trusting in them. Once the trust has been built the request of committing crimes will so to follow. With the child not having proper guidance growing up and corrective leadership they will hang on to every word of the gangs instruction, due to the fact that they can't differentiate between what's right and wrong. Gangs continue to thrive because they provide support and status for adolescents denied these things at home and in the educational system, and because they make it possible, through illegal means, to attain material wealth and goods that are perceived as unattainable through legal means. In many neighborhoods, youth must join gangs in order to survive. It is to little surprise that in our violent