Juvenile delinquents committing violent crimes

Juvenile delinquents committing violent. Juvenile delinquency is one of the most significant problems facing society today. Evidence shows that violent crimes committed by juveniles have tangible and intangible costs amounting to billions of dollars each year (Lai, Zeng, and Chu, 2016). Considering that these offenders are at a young age, persistent offending over the years has substantial costs compared to adult offending. While psychosocial behavior is to blame for the problem, much of the influence to commit violent crimes comes from environmental influences.

             Delinquent behavior in juveniles may emerge from the context of broken familial relationships. Teens derive ethical and moral values from their parents and close family members and this implies that a broken family deprives the individual this support system. A teen growing up in a broken family also lacks parental attention and thus leads the teen to seeking attention from peers that may influence the individual into committing crime (Lai, Zeng, and Chu, 2016). The self-esteem level and self-confidence of teens lacking attention is lowered and this drives them to blindly obliging to delinquent behavior to fit in within groups.

Juvenile delinquents committing violent crimes

            A poor socio-economic background may also be to blame for delinquent behavior. Youths coming from poor backgrounds will often seek ways to improve their financial situations and this often leads to violent crime such as robbery with violence or selling drugs that transitions them to violent criminality. The need to engage in crime to meet their financial objectives comes from the strain between culturally prescribed aspirations such as being rich and the structured avenues to meet these goals. The gap leads the individual to engage in crime.

            Other factors leading to the problem include mental illness and disruptive behavior that includes bullying, hyperactivity, and aggression. Such factors affect the individual’s rationality and hence the engagement in violent criminal behavior.     

References

Lai, V., Zeng, G., and Chu, C. (2016). Violent and non-violent youth offenders. Youth Violence    Juv Justice, 14(3), 313-329.