Effects of Poverty on Juvenile Delinquency Research (Essay Sample)

Effects of Poverty on Juvenile Delinquency
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Effects of Poverty on Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile delinquency also known as teenage crime is the perpetual act of committing crimes by minors. It is normal for teenagers to be rebellious by testing the limits set by parents, teachers and other members of the society. However, there are some children that push the boundary too far and engage in illegal activities that are criminal in nature. These cases have been on the rise in the US. It is estimated that 20% of boys will be aligned in court before they celebrate their 18th birthday. 17% of people arrested in US are teenagers below the age of 18 years. The juvenile who commits the crime suffers lack of freedom while in probation and may lose ground in academics as well. There are many reasons why juveniles commit crimes but socio economic factors are the most common. Economic factors like poverty, loss of a parent’s job and living in a poor neighborhood are the major causes for juvenile delinquency.The study of effects of poverty on juvenile delinquency is important as it forms the first step in getting solutions to prevent juvenile delinquency. It also helps in drafting solutions for the problem. This paper is going to examine how poverty affects juvenile delinquency. It will also evaluate some of the possible solutions for juvenile delinquency that is driven by poverty.
It has been shown by statistics that there is a direct correlation between poverty and juvenile delinquency. Socio-economic factors play a key role in determining the behavior and character of an individual. A person from a poor background whether an adult or a minor is likely to engage in criminal activities more than one from an affluent background. Lack of distraction has been cited as one of the factors why children and teenagers engage in crime. A child from a humble background is not likely to participate in community programs that keep them busy. It is also possible that they do not have any hobbies or sports activities that keep them off the streets. Lack of distraction implies that the minors have a lot of time at their disposal. They spend the free time roaming the streets hence have more opportunities to commit crimes. One of the key elements of parenting is instilling values in children while they are still young. Children should be taught that choices have consequences and engaging in crime can lead to conviction. Teaching of morals and values is done by parents and by teachers in schools. In most cases, the parents of children living in poverty are not well educated and lack exposure to the basic skills of good parenting hence do not instill good values in their children. These children are also likely to drop out of school at an early age unlike their affluent counterparts. The few who manage to go through the education system may not afford good schools.
Official juvenile delinquents are commonly found in specific areas of every state where poverty is high and are popularly known as delinquency areas. These areas are thinly scattered in the better residential districts (Burgess, 1952). Study has shown that the environment has a great influence on one’s behavior. The behavior of a child growing up and living in a poor neighborhood cannot be the same with that of one living among the rich. Majority of adult criminals live in poor neighborhood and they easily recruit the minors into criminal activities. Also, there are more youth gangs in such environments. Children learn by observing the behavior of adults and peers and living in an environment with many criminals exposes them to crime. Weapons are also readily accessible in poor neighborhoods. Drug and alcohol abuse are also a common causes for juvenile delinquency and are high among the poor than the rich. Lack of serenity and high levels of stress largely contributes to juvenile delinquency. Children are likely to be stressed by school factors like poor performance, problem with teachers and peer pressure. Stress management of an individual is also influenced by the environment. Living in an environment that has no congestion, has adequate privacy and social amenities enables adults and children alike to handle pressures of life in an amicable way. Poor children are likely to live in poor neighborhoods which are crowded which have a direct impact on the habits they adopt to manage stress. They are likely to result to crime as an avenue for expressing their frustrations.
Family factors among the poor have a role to play in juvenile delinquency. Children brought up by single parents commit more crimes that children in other family structures. Cases of single motherhood are more among the poor than the high income groups. Family members living in poverty are likely to be victims of violence and can pass the same to their children. Poverty is also the precursor for child abuse and negligence. Children who are abused or neglected normally end up participating in criminal activities. Financial insecurity is also a factor that drives crime among teenagers. Cases of unemployment and underemployment are more prevalent among the poor than the rich. A teenager whose parents do not have a job is likely to engage in crime in order to get basic needs. Teen’s unemployment is also on the rise. Teens lack the experience or education to secure good jobs. In tough economic seasons, competition for jobs is high and the more qualified people who should be up the ladder compete for the entry level jobs with teens.
Poor children do not have the privilege and opportunities to drift out of poverty unlike other children. Poor teenagers are likely to be penalized formally for their crimes including conviction. Due to institutional weakness, the standard of proof in a juvenile court is largely determined by the socio economic class of the minor rather than the nature of the forum. Consequently, the state’s burden of proof is lowered when dealing with the poor children and heightened when dealing with the rich (Birckhead, 2012). This approach predisposes the poor children to doing more crimes once out of probation. The most common penalty for these poor children is being labeled a criminal and once it happens, they find it hard to establish conventional social networks and stick to t...