How Child Poverty Effects Crime Rates Amongst Teens and Young Adults in Today\'s Society

Child Poverty Effects Crime Rates

How Child Poverty Effects Crime Rates Amongst Teens and Young Adults in Today's Society

How Child Poverty Effects Crime Rates

How Child Poverty Effects Crime Rates Amongst Teens and Young Adults in Today's Society

The entire human race is in the midst of a breathtaking era that is attributed to numerous advancements and innovations. However, it is very unfortunate to state that this unbelievable industrialized world is full of social dilemmas that have made millions of people to suffer from its drastic impacts. While taking United States into consideration, the statistical records expose the fact that with the expansion of racial and minority groups, the nation has become an increasingly diverse society with numerous young people. In this diverse society, child poverty has become one of widespread and prominent social issue with serious consequences and wider implications (Lindsey, 2008).

Indeed, in this contemporary world, the social issue of poverty has been described as one of the worst cause of suffering in the whole wide world. Child poverty is considered to be a multidimensional phenomenon, with the lack of ability to satisfy the basic needs of human being due to lack of resources available. As the deprived people do not receive their fundamental rights of necessities, poor health is the ultimate consequence. Moreover, these people are not privileged with accessibility to quality education. Therefore, it is declared that the affects of poverty are inherently alienating and distressing with implications on physical, mental, and social well-being (Lindsey, 2008).

Income and consumption levels are the primary means through which the poverty level is measured. The people who are not able to gain access to the basic necessities and amenities of life or their income levels are below the poverty line, they are considered to be poor. The poverty level is set as the minimum level essential to meet the basic necessities of life. This eventually indicates the fact that people below poverty levels reside in deprived communities, have under-developed social and physical infrastructure, experience poor health conditions, and belong to lower socio-economic class (a group that is not included in the mainstream population of the society) (Lindsey, 2008).

As an outcome of poverty groups, children are more likely to suffer from its disproportion share of deprivation, hardships and appalling outcomes on a long-term basis like lower educational attainment, poor health, increased teen pregnancy, unemployment, and more involvement in criminal activities especially in their adolescent period of life. This usually happens because they are inclined to experience stress and frustration as an outcome of social isolation, which eventually leads them to increased rates of crime and violence in their adulthood period of life (Lindsey, 2008).

Overall Statistical Analysis of Child Poverty

Statistical information on an overall basis has brought the fact to the forefront that minority children residing in the United States are more susceptible to economic insecurity when compared to their White counterparts. This means that the poor minor child has to experience food scarcity, poor housing facility, and lack of access to health care, which makes them at a greater risk of violence in their teen and young adult period (Arrighi & Maume, 2007).

The situation of child poverty from researches has been identified that young adults are more likely to be involved in offending acts. These youth offending statistics have demonstrated rapid increases since the beginning of the twenty first century, which cannot be ignored. This has raised questions like how and why child poverty impacts the crime rates amongst teens and young adults. However, the answers have been discovered from deep analysis of extensive researches, which indicates the environmental, social or biological factors as the key answers that drives the young individuals towards the commitment of offences and crime (Arrighi & Maume, 2007).

Growing body of investigations related to poverty and health have concluded the fact that children that have been nurtured in the households with social disadvantage are significantly more on the verge of criminal acts than the children who have grown up in the households with maximum facilities. As an outcome, the relationship of poverty with crime rates is apparently authenticated (Arrighi & Maume, 2007).

Impact of Poverty on Education amongst Teens

School is considered to be one of the integral components for a child that not only equips them with academic and vocational skills, but also help them to accomplish a successful life and career. Pro-social attitudes and skills are another significant component that a school teaches to the students that helps them in developing their confidence level and high self-esteem. A student accomplishes it because school keeps them engaged for several hours in a day (Urdan & Pajares, 2001).

Unfortunately, the students are strongly associated to possess anti-social behaviors that are less likely to attend school. However, it is captivating to be acquainted with the fact that even participation in school (instead of school achievement) also leads to positive outcome on the crime rate amongst young adults. Numerous studies have therefore explicated apparent correlation between serious criminal activities by young people of lower socio-economic class with lack of involvement in vocational activities and education (Urdan & Pajares, 2001).

As mentioned earlier, a child that is considered to fall under the category of poverty line signifies that he/she is living in an environment with minimum facilities. This clearly indicates that the parents are not able to afford access to the school for their deprived child where they learn cognitive skills and gain educational achievements. This also means that the parents are not able to meet the expenses of various other opportunities like school trips, musical instruments, uniforms, after-school clubs, and so forth. Due to this reason, the children (of low-income group) miss out the social opportunities that facilitate in their personality development (Urdan & Pajares, 2001).

Difficulties to the accessibility and increased expense list of school education prevent the children of lower-income families to attain academic skills. This drives the children of lower-income families to leave up school and education much more early without achieving their qualifications in contrast to the children of higher-income households. This lack of qualifications and skills also becomes a huge hindrance in their employment. With no job and education, the probability of these underprivileged young adults augments that they would be involved in criminal activities (Urdan & Pajares, 2001).

Furthermore, studies have also indicated that boys have been recorded with increased level of childhood disorder with the level of poverty when compared to girls. However, the children with higher socio-economic position tend to have greater level of educational achievement and increased level of cognitive functions. Based on the results, extensive research studies evidently linked insufficient child's cognitive disorder and educational attainment to poverty and social disadvantage (Urdan & Pajares, 2001).

It has also come to notice that due to various reasons, the children of low income-group tend to have poor educational goals and objectives with lower levels of desire to learn. Due to this reason, an increased amount of counteractive help or special assistance is required in comparison to their better-off peers. However, they are not able to gain access to such a help from outside source. Consequently, they lose their interest over studies and absenteeism is observed, which make them engage in destructive or criminal activities. Large bodies of evidences have therefore brought the fact to the surface that family background plays a vital and essential role in the academic success of the child, and due to this reason child poverty is strongly associated with poor outcomes of educational achievement (Urdan & Pajares, 2001).

Impact of Poverty on Unemployment amongst Teens

The significance of schooling and education cannot be neglected because it is the foundation stone for any individual to enter into the business community and the labor market. Without cognitive and vocational skills combined with formal qualification, the entry and progression within the job market is possible. Poor skills and education levels usually impact the earning capacity, jobs stability and career growth in an unconstructive manner that can even lead to loss of work (Maynard & Feldman, 2011).

The chances of receiving training sessions are also decreased to a substantial level when the individuals possess low skill sets in contrast to their counterparts possessing high skills. These aspects clearly demonstrate that young adults belonging to lower socio-economic groups are at a greater risk to fall under such consequences of job market, because they tend to attain lower levels of academic achievements when compared to their peers of high socio economic status (Maynard & Feldman, 2011).

The presented facts highlights toward the issue of child poverty leading to increased crime rates amongst teens and young adults. Unemployment or lower earning also draws the attention to increased crime rate, because unemployment becomes the predictor of antisocial personality that is typically associated with crime and criminal activities. This certainly indicates the fact that financial or economic necessity is an imperative connection to the chain of unemployment and crime (Maynard & Feldman, 2011).

As the world is advancing and progressing at an unprecedented rate, it has resulted in elevation of the competition within the business community. This fierce competition within the industry requires the professionals to be more skillful and competent than ever. In this race, the people with the lowest income group fall behind other because they did not got the opportunity to attain education with facilities that can enhance their skills and talents. In fact, these people have been deprived with the basic educational facilities at many instances. This lack of educational attainment causes them to stand in the last position in the job market. Adverse consequences of it create anger and frustration, which promotes them to be engaged in activities that are considered offensive and criminal (Maynard & Feldman, 2011).

Empirical studies have concluded the fact that young adults and teens who belonged to the family of unemployed parents are more exposed to the risk of having a high rate of unemployment in their later lives (Maynard & Feldman, 2011).

Impact of Poverty on Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy has been considered as another harsh impact of child poverty. Wide ranging studies have revealed the fact that multiple risk factors profoundly contributes to the possibility that makes teens of low income group engage in unprotected sex, become pregnant, and give birth. Amongst all the other factors, poverty is considered as one of the essential and high rated causes, while others include single-parent family, low performance in school, and parents with low educational achievement (De Zutter, 2007).

The statistical records exhibit that a significant proportion of teenage mothers belong to low-income social groups (poverty). Due to lack of educational attainment, they are unemployed or working at a very low wage, due to which they are not able to support their children. However, their lower earning potentials lead them to have welfare from various sources. In order to support their children and family, they become involved in activities that can put them behind bars (De Zutter, 2007).

Few other studies have highlighted the fact that the teens that are not engaged in educational activities, they are less acquainted with options known for having safe sex. Moreover, lack of sufficient funds also causes them to be less aware of information and knowledge related to intimate relationships. Due to deficit of understanding, teens with low socio-economic background or minority groups are likely to become teenage moms (De Zutter, 2007).

Many researchers have attempted to find out the association between teen pregnancies to poverty levels. The most common and widespread answer that has been identified the researchers conclude that teen parenting has been the option (on a priority basis in comparison to the option of education and employment) because of having few economic prospects in their lives. This has also been termed as their cultural norm that has existed from a long time. Minority or teens of low economic status have developed the perception that due to poverty and having unequal rights in the society, they would not be able to have economic success even if they receive education. Therefore, they opt for choices as a part of their cost-benefit analysis that favors their short-term satisfaction, because according to them anything that they do would only continue to be poor (De Zutter, 2007).

Another aspect that has been identified from the studies of poverty and teen pregnancy indicates that young people who have been unfortunate with their economic statues and have lived a life under extreme deprivation in their childhood period are more likely to give births in their teenage period of life. This usually happens because they do not have any expectations from the education system, since they do not receive quality education only because of their low economic status. Similarly, they do not even have any positive hopes from the job market as well, because the teens of today are well aware of the competitive marketplace that search for highly qualified people. This apparently demonstrates the fact that lack of opportunity and hope for a better future (economic wise) are the key driving force that leads to rates of teen pregnancy (De Zutter, 2007).

Impact of Poverty on Crime amongst Teens

On a broad spectrum, extensive researches have undoubtedly concluded the fact that crime rate ranks high amongst the adverse effects of poverty. Even though the association of poverty and criminal action is complex, yet, studies that has emphasized on the relationship of antisocial personality disorder to that of lower socio-economic classes have apparently predicted the children of low family income and poor housing being reported with much more cases of juvenile and young adult offending (Sheila, 2005).

According to numerous sources of information, the children living in impoverished neighborhoods (caused by social, family, or economic disadvantage) are more exposed to discrimination and social exclusion, which impacts their overall personality development and drives them to become more aggressive as an outcome of reactions to the stressful incidences. The antisocial behavior (conduct disorder) results in reduced self-control, which causes them to be involved in activities that are considered offensive and criminal in nature (Sheila, 2005).

Extensive range of studies has reported strong association of high prevalence of mood disorders (such as depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, and so on) with low socio-economic status. In addition, these occurrences of mood disorders have exhibited significant and constantly elevated results when compared to other socio-economic status levels. Lower levels of education and attainment levels contributed to more vulnerable results of the positive relationship of socio-economic status with the exposure to mood disorder (Sheila, 2005).

Quite a few studies have also brought the fact into the limelight that due to high poverty levels, the children are not able to gain access to the basic necessities of life. Moreover, they are not even able to attain an adequate level of education, which results not only in high drop-outs in their later stage of educational career but these children remain unskilled with cognitive and other developmental talent. However, they need to spend the time (that was dedicated to school hours) somewhere, and this time is being utilized in an unconstructive manner by the young adults (Sheila, 2005).

Consequently, most of these young adults remain either unemployed or have employment with minimum wages in their teenage and adolescence stage. This social exclusion for a very long time causes personality disorders as it disturbs the entire process of their personality development. As sever and adverse outcomes, they are forced to commit illegal and offensive acts, which eventually increases the crime rates amongst poor teens and young adults (Sheila, 2005).