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Causes of Juvenile Delinquency
Criminology Research Paper
lack of social support in the home environment is the primary cause of juveniles' involvement in violent crime
Analysis on the Real Causes of Juvenile Homicide
juvenile delinquency remains a serious concern for state and federal administrators in the U.S. Despite taking a plunge from their peak level in 1994, the rates of juvenile involvement in crime are still relatively high. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, juveniles between the ages of 10 and 17 accounted for 8% of all homicides committed in the country in 2010, with an arrest rate of 225 for every 100,000 youth. These statistics have spurred researchers' interest in trying to find out exactly what causes juveniles to commit crime, particularly violent crime. Statistics from the Census Bureau indicate that most crimes perpetrated by juvenile offenders are committed between 3 p.m and 7 p.m. This can rightly be interpreted as the period between when a child leaves school, and when most parents return home from work. Evidently, most juvenile crimes occur in an out-of-school environment, when the child is primarily under the care of their parents, most of whom are often too busy to even take time to observe their children's social patterns or tend to their psychological needs....
Thus, juvenile homicide is primarily caused by the lack of social support frameworks in the home environment.
Significance of Proposed Study: understanding the underlying causes of juvenile homicide is the first step towards developing effective interventions for addressing the problem. Drug use, involvement in gangs, and antisocial behavior are all surface causes of juvenile homicide that are, in my view, driven by a more serious underlying cause -- lack of social support frameworks from parents and guardians. As long as we continue focusing on these surface issues, we are deemed to continue developing shallow intervention programs that end up addressing only part of the problem. We need to begin appreciating the role of parents and families in juveniles' lives if we are to be effective in addressing the problem of juvenile homicide. The proposed study provides some groundwork for policymakers to develop comprehensive intervention strategies that take into account the role of families and parents. I strongly believe that juvenile homicide is preventable if juveniles are provided with stable home environments and if parents take a more active role in their children's lives.
Research Question: What exactly drives juveniles to engage in violent crime?
References
Crime Solutions. (n.d.). Juveniles. Crime Solutions. Retrieved 5 February 2015 from http://www.crimesolutions.gov/TopicDetails.aspx?ID=5
Heide, K. (1997). Juvenile Homicide in America: How can we Stop the Killing? Journal of Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 15(2), 203-220.
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