Overview of juvenile delinquency
Juvenile delinquency can be defined as "that behavior on the part of children, which may, under the law, subject those children to juvenile court laws." It is the legal invention of the 19th century that did not exist either under the English common law or under early Roman law. Both these legal systems regarded very young children as beyond the reach of the law, and for offenders between the ages of 7 and 14, provisions were made for the determination of the child's responsibility before the law. Once this determination was made, however, the child was either subject to the same criminal law as were adults, or he was beyond its reach. There were no special courts for juveniles.
Despite the enormous amount of study devoted to it, many questions about juvenile delinquency still remain unanswered. The term covers a wide range of legally forbidden acts committed by young people who may be anywhere from 10 to 25 years of age. The highly varied misbehavior of these young people, who differ greatly in personal background, development, experience, and situation, is no homogenous phenomenon. One view is that delinquent behavior develops when a youngster's rewards in terms of money and goods, excitement, fellowship or revenge out weighed the costs of getting caught.
The extent of youthful crime is hard to judge. There is no certainty regarding just how much delinquency there is in the United States or in any other country of the world, or whether the current amount represents an increase or a decrease over the past several decades. Many believe that the rate of juvenile delinquency today is higher than ever. The first juvenile court was established in Cook County, Ill in 1899. However, there is evidence that the rate of juvenile delinquency in the United States in the early 1900's and into the 1920's was as high as it is today (Collier's Encyclopedia).
Since the second World War, a substantial increase in juvenile convictions has been recorded. Between 1957 and 1965 there was a 58 percent increase in juvenile delinquency cases in the US (Collier's Encyclopedia). In 1969 juveniles accounted for more than half the arrests for auto thefts, burglary, and larceny. The first United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders was held in 1955. A second was held in 1960 and a third in 1965. Precise comparison of countries is impossible, but it is clear that juvenile delinquency is a serious problem in all industrialized nations.
As offenders, boys outnumber girls in a ratio of about 10:1. Crimes against property are by far the most frequent type of offense. These include stealing from shops, houses, and cars; and the unauthorized taking of cars, usually for joy riding. Theft seems to be associated more with the younger offender. Crimes against the person (assaults, fighting, robbery with violence), together with sex offenses and, in industrially developed countries, traffic offenses, come next and are more common among those aged from 17 to 21. Narcotic addiction and other types of drug dependence, though not always criminal offenses, are a relatively new and disturbing form of deviance which seems to be increasing rapidly. Under-age drinking and shoplifting are two specific offenses that cost Americans millions each year. Other alarming behaviors include truancy, drug usage, vandalism, bullying and joyriding. Over half cited “to impress others” and boredom as the top two reasons for their actions, followed by lack of money, peer pressure, lack of parental supervision and ability to "get away with it." In 1982, out of 100,000 total convictions and cautions, there were 5,028 male juveniles; in 1992 the figure was 3,764. The fall was greatest among boys between the ages of 10 and 13 (from 2,920 to 1,927). This shows that there has been improvement, but there is still much to do.
Causes of juvenile delinquency
Essential to the discussion of the cures for juvenile delinquency is the nature vs. nurture debate. The methods used for rehabilitation depend almost solely upon the therapist's personal view of this crucial issue. This debate has a long and tedious history. The two sides are diametrically opposed, and each side has very good research to support its claims. The following is a presentation of the two ideas using research that has been done in an attempt to decide this debate.
Probably the earliest experiment to address the nature-nurture issue was conducted by Fredrick II, King of Germany, in the 13th century AD. This experiment was to determine what language a child would speak if he/she were not spoken to by her parents in his/her early years. The King ordered the foster mothers of several babies to care for the babies but not speak to them or play with them. This experiment failed because all of the babies died due to a lack of attention. Later, the Mogul emperor Akbar tried to determine what religion children would adopt if raised in isolation. This experiment also failed because all of the children turned out deaf and mute. Several years later, John Locke, a British empiricist, supported the nurture side of the argument when he said that, “Anything that is known is known through experience.” Helmholtz further supported nurture argument with the scientific view that any aspect of perception that can be altered by experience is a product of experience. He claimed that the world each person perceives is a, “collection of sense data.” Watson summed up this entire view by stating that he could take a child with any characteristics and train him/her to do anything (Plomin and McClearn, 1995). These experiments went to great lengths to prove that a person is a product of his/her environment.
The defense of the nature side of this argument came with the experiments of Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel.Darwin held to three ideas: heredity (offspring resemble their parents), variation (although similar, offspring differ from their parents) and selection (survival of the fittest) (Plomin and McClearn, 1995). Mendel provided support for Darwin’s theories by proving that half of an organisms' genes come from each parent, and that each trait has a separate gene. Later, a man named Francis Galton did a study revealing that eminent people tend to produce eminent heirs. A case example in the defense of the nature argument is a study of the family named Jukes. It was discovered that at one time, there were six members of the Jukes family in prison at that time. A study that covered about 7 generations of the Jukes family revealed that this family alone had cost the state approximately $1.5 million through various types of crime (Plomin and McClearn, 1995). These are only a few of the studies done to support this idea that infants are born with all of the characteristics which create the individual.
This debate still rages on even today. As quickly as one side does an experiment that yields results in it's favor, the other counters with new evidence of their own. There will never be an exclusive answer to this debate simply due to the fact that there is strong support for each side. This could suggest that the nature and nurture aspects of the individual's character and development are both essential and influential. It also tends to support the “cycle effect” that was demonstrated in the Jukes family which could be a result of not only genes, but also of training. The relevance to juvenile delinquency is this: if nature is the source of personality traits, delinquents are born "bad" and medicine is the answer to curing juvenile delinquency. On the other hand, if people are products of their environments, then the answer is found in creating a new environment for delinquents. Further discussion of a selection of various treatments are found in theCures section of this site.
Cures for juvenile delinquency
The solution to the problem of juvenile delinquency is multidimensional. Many different things contribute to juvenile delinquency, as was shown in theNature vs. Nurture article in the previous section. Thus, it would naturally follow that there would be many aspects to the cures of this social deviance. While there is not one finger can be pointed in direct blame, there are many ways that juvenile delinquency can be decreased. The four areas to be discussed here are the unique aspects, responsibilities and functions ofmedicine , thefamily , thechurch and the government .
MEDICINE
Medicinal Cures
The nature vs. nurture debate takes on a new identity when dealing directly with treating or rehabilitating juvenile delinquents. The debate on this issue is between sickness and sin. Is juvenile delinquency the result of an inborn sickness (nature) or is it the result of bad choices by the parents and child (nurture)? Those in favor of delinquency being a sickness are looking to science to find a medicinal cure or some genetic link that can be altered to keep the child from ever becoming a delinquent. This section is a focus on one of the leading physical explanations for delinquency in the sickness circle – ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
According to the May-June issue of Pediatric Nursing, ADHD has organic, genetic and mental causes. It is diagnosed when a child meets six or more criteria related to inattention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. The child must show these symptoms before the age of seven and they must persist for six months or more. These symptoms must also cause problems in two or more settings and significantly interfere with academic performance and/or interpersonal relationships (Savage, 1996). The criteria used are: Hyperactivity, Fidgets and squirms, Does not stay in seat, Runs and climbs excessively, Can’t play quietly, Constantly on the go, Talks excessively, Impulsiveness, Talks out of turn, Can’t await turn, Interrupts, Inattentiveness, Does not ay attention, Can’t sustain attention, Doesn’t listen in a one-on-one talk, Doesn’t complete work, Has difficulty organizing, Avoids mental effort, Loses things necessary for completing tasks, Easily Distracted, Forgetful (Savage, 1996).
ADHD is important in the discussion of juvenile delinquency due to the fact that ADHD may contribute to the severity and persistence of substance abuse disorders and antisocial behaviors (Riggs, et al, 1996). Fortunately, several drugs for treatment have been developed and are available for those who suffer from ADHD. The first of the drugs and probably the best known is Ritalin. The active ingredient in Ritalin is methylphenidate. This drug fits into the category of a psychostimulant. The idea behind this is to stimulate the parts of the brain that control self regulation of behavior, impulses and attention (Baren, 1995). Ritalin has helped many children lead a normal life. It allows them to be able to concentrate, relax and enjoy life. Between 60% and 90% of patients have shown improvement while on this drug. There are some side effects to Ritalin as there are with any drug. Unfortunately, Ritalin’s effect does not last forever, and as it “wears off” and the patient "comes down," fits of aggression can occur (Baren, 1995).
A second drug that is an alternative to a stimulant is Imipramine HCl. This drug has shown to help patients who suffer from symptoms of depression as well as those of ADHD. It also minimizes the “downer” effect of medication since Imipramine HCl produces no sensation of a high. There are many other drugs that have shown to help those who suffer from ADHD, some more effective than others, and each with its own set of side effects. The search will continue to find just what causes people to suffer from ADHD and how to treat it. Research will also continue as to how ADHD and other biological disorders relate to juvenile delinquency, and how this can be directly combated.
THE FAMILY
What can parents do?
There are many who believe that “juvenile delinquency” should be referred to as “Juvenile P. Delinquency” with the “P” standing for “parental.” The emphasis is not difficult to understand, for it is the relationship between parental failure and child misbehavior. It is the parents that are intimately identified with the child's initial social status because they are the nucleus of the child's emotional life.
It should be noted that parents are the victims of unwholesome social circumstances, frequently unable to control demoralizing conditions to which their children are exposed, and never fully able to dominate the child's volitional life. Yet, while the entire burden of blame should not be placed on the shoulders of the parents, regardless of these conditions, parents should be aware of and accept their vitally important measure of responsibility.
For parents, there is knowledge of greater importance than self-knowledge. Parents must begin here because they can not expect to understand their children unless they have sufficient understanding of themselves. They must be able to face the facts about themselves because it will be difficult to avoid conflicts and frustration in the child. Parents need to do serious soul searching and ask themselves what kind of value system they have, and is parenthood simply a sideline among values. If they can truthfully answer this, then they will have hurtled a milestone toward understanding their children's behavior. Many parents that try to understand themselves will discover that they do not find it easy to communicate their love. They simply do not know how to express their love toward their children. Yet this type of communication is vital for the child's happiness and social adjustment. Discovery of deficiency in this respect should not be the basis of despair. The art and skills of communication of love can be learned, and individuals with this feeling of inadequacy should be working hard to overcome the obstacle.
Parent can help guard their children from juvenile delinquency by being reasonable. Unreasonableness is always an open door to irresponsibility. Parental unreasonableness, however, probably stems not so much from perverseness as from functioning on the basis of mythology and false premises in dealing with children.
The task of discipline is handled differently by parents. There are those parents that believe in no discipline and others who insist of much. There are several reasonable things that can be done by parents when it comes to disciplining their children:
a.) Parents' first obligation is to understand the child misbehavior and accept it without alarm and severity.
b.) Discipline should be considered as a stepping stone to self-discipline. It should be administered in a manner that will
make clear sense as well as adequate to the child.
c.) The type of discipline should fit the child, not the crime and always be for the child's sake, not the parent's.
d.) Discipline or punishment without understanding increases the child's conflict and confusion.
e.) Positive discipline is better than negative discipline. It is always better to teach the child what is right and what is wrong rather than waiting for him to do something wrong.
Parents can also help their children greatly through demonstrating their faith in the processes of democracy and principles of Christianity. Freedom, fairness, equality, justice, and compassion are social virtues as essential to the welfare of the young as well as old. Whenever they are negated or restricted, rebellion is invited; wherever they prevail, social bonds are strengthened. Love, forgiveness, self-sacrifice, and faith in God foster positive reactions to self and society. Our children need tangible and concrete values on which to base their faith. They can understand the love of God the father when they have fathers who love them, or the forgiveness and fairness of God when their own parents are fair as well as forgiving.
Parents should also strive to make religion a dynamic part of the family. It is the parents' responsibility to help the child discover religion as something alive and meaningful. The way to live life is the best indicator of what faith is as well as the reason for living. The manner of expressing family religion is not only in what the family lives for, but also in the quality of relationships maintained between family members. If love, understanding and self-giving characterize the family circle, this will lead the family beyond itself into unselfish services to each other and others outside the immediate family. To help meet the needs of humanity, Christianity will not be difficult for the children to understand or accept. This positive characteristic will not allow the negative characteristics of delinquency to develop in a child.
There are some goals that will allow parents to strive for a better family life as well as protect their children from the ravages of juvenile delinquency. The purpose is to encourage parents and for them not to stand helplessly by and watch while their children are swept away in delinquency. Parents are human, too, and none of them will likely achieve all their goals for there will be circumstances that will impede their goals. Sincerity, honesty, and faith will compensate for many limitations, but serious dedication to improvement of parenthood skills will always be rewarding.