Preventing the Occurrence and Failure of Juvenile Delinquents

Preventing the Occurrence and Failure of Juvenile Delinquents

Everyone likes a second chance at life, so why do we deny the juveniles that privilege? Any time you can take a kid and turn them around when they start down the wrong path, it would be beneficial to everyone. With proper guidance and resourceful programs we can turn the young to the right path. A young person who is not yet old enough to be regarded as an adult (18 years or older) is a juvenile. There are many contributing factors linked to juvenile delinquency. These acts of violent behavior (external triggers) are difficult to control without a broad social change. Changes in family, individual, and community levels can control internal triggers more directly. If the family and communities give up on the children of our future, why should we expect anything less than delinquent behavior? Many juveniles do not realize or think of the consequences of their actions as they engage in criminal behavior. Educating the youth about the consequences of their actions beforehand can help reduce criminal behavior.

Criminal behavior committed by juveniles is considered to be juvenile delinquency. The crimes are categorized as violent crimes, nonviolent crimes, and selected offenses. Types of juvenile delinquent included but are not limited to: violent, property, robbery, murder, forcible rape, and aggravated assaults. Along with committing crimes juvenile delinquents are more probable to having poor grades, use or sell drugs, carry weapons, and be involved in gang activity. Labeling the juvenile a delinquent can cause delinquency to intensify; they are perceived as social outcast and being to rebel. When a young person is found guilty of committing such crimes they are defined as juvenile delinquents. There are three types of juvenile delinquents: low risk, medium risk, and high risk. Assessments of the three groups of juveniles are key starting points in the prevention of the delinquent behavior. Juvenile justice is an area that has been an issue for decades and it is very hard to deal with. To understand how to deal with this issue the juvenile justice system and the community need to be educated on what cause juvenile delinquency. Both the juvenile justice system and communities need to take this problem more seriously, and stop being lethargic in solving these problems. A better knowledge of how juvenile delinquents perceive their social environments and identifying potential high risk offenders should be the first step in successfully rehabilitating them to return to that environment upon release. We need to think of ways to help high risk offenders be more successful upon their release because we would want the same second chance given to us.

There are several factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency. Such factors include: peer pressure, heredity, poor parenting, social class, and race. Studies show that juveniles who receive adequate parental supervision are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior. Juveniles who have been witness to crimes committed by family members are more likely to become engaged in violation of the law resulting in their labeling of delinquency. The World Youth Report (2003) claims, " In an attempt to explain the theoretical underpinnings of delinquency, sociologists associate the specific of youth behavior with the home, family, neighborhood, peers, and many other variables that together or separately influence the formation of young people's social environment"(2003). If the communities we are releasing these juveniles back to are what contributed to their delinquency, what makes one think that the juveniles will be able to succeed after release?

Young offenders who exhibit multiple risk factors are most likely to become the career criminals. As stated by LAO (1995), "A young person who has these risk factors is not guaranteed to commit delinquent behavior, but simply are increase to the likelihood of such behavior." Once a juvenile is labeled a criminal, he/she becomes a social outcast and begins to rebel. Along with committing crimes delinquents are more probable to other issues; such as: poor grades, gang activity, carrying weapons, use and or sell drugs, and be involved in serious assaults. Potentially alleviating these problems could be the result of early intervention and have a long term impact on future crime levels. Assessment of the risk factors for these juveniles must be closely geared for the success of the delinquents in the future. The World Youth Report (2003) implied that, "Delinquent identity is quite complex and is, in fact, an overlay of several identities linked to delinquency itself and to a person's ethnicity, race, class, and gender." Once the assessment has been made then we need to implicate the right tools for each juvenile individually.

High risk juvenile offenders should be gradually reintegrated back into the community in a more calibrated