Societal factors contributing to juvenile criminal behavior

Juvenile Criminals

As social systems expand to cover the ever growing social dynamics, the norms governing social behaviors are losing their ability to control behaviors. Over the years, concerns over the rising level of crimes committed primarily by the young are evident. The number of youths placed in juvenile correctional facilities is on the rise with the authorities appearing incapacitated to control the situation. This paper looks at the aspects of society contributing to Juvenile criminals and their continued perpetration of antisocial behaviors in the society.

In the modern world the norms that guide transitions and relationships from family to school and work have come under immense challenge. These challenges have seen to the collapse of the smooth socialization process that the young need to become productive in the society (Livingston, Stewart, Allard, & Ogilvie, 2008). As lifestyle trajectories vary and become more unpredictable, the young find it difficult to fit in the society thereby resulting in criminal behaviors. The situation is evident not on in developed countries but also in developing countries. Regardless of their social origin, gender and country of residence, the youth in the modern world face the risk as well as opportunities both beneficial and harmful to their well-being. The dynamics ensuing in the modern world present a challenge to the youth hindering their connection with their respective families and members of the society. With the ever declining educational and job opportunities, the youth face unchallenged pressures that throw them towards the risk of embracing criminal tendencies (Wright & Younts, 2009).

Factors contributing to juvenile criminal behaviors

Cultural and Social-economic aspects predominant in a country or region play a big role in the severity and intensity of juvenile criminal behaviors. Evidence from interrogation in the juvenile criminal cases shows that, crimes committed by juvenile criminals follow from declining economic condition (Greenwood, 2004). Many are the cases where economically deprived children turn to become street children and adopt a survivor instinct that call for adoption of criminal tendencies. Economic deprivations mean that the lot has low educational attainments as well as unstable social backgrounds (Savignac, 2008). The causes of juvenile criminal behaviors are present at every level of social strata. The aspects that contribute to juvenile criminals are discussed below.

Family

The family as social institutions has over the years seen substantial alterations with the being an increase in one-parent homes and non-marital unions (Wright & Younts, 2009). Absence of one parent in a homestead forces the children to seek a replacement of the absent parents from groups outside the family setting. The present parent being overwhelmed by the social roles of providing for the family is left with little time and capability to play a leading role in social guidance to the children. In this respect, even though the parent is fully capable of proving for the family, the children may get unwarranted social advice from other individuals in the society. In the event, that the young people are exposed to antisocial behaviors in the early stages, they will result to delinquency thus juvenile criminals (Wright & Younts, 2009).

When young individuals are exposed to adult offenders, the influence they have on the youth is to train them on delinquent behaviors. The possibility of the youth engaging in adult crime grows to become a bitter reality. The young have a higher capacity to learn especially from their immediate family members who serve as the primary socializers. Studies on juvenile delinquencies exhibit that, if a child comes from a family with a history of criminal activities, they are likely to ape the behavior (Sprott, Jenkins, & Doob, 2005).

Adequate parental supervision on children contributes to a lesser potential in engaging in criminal activities. A family that displays some degree of dysfunctional settings including, inadequate parental control, parental conflict, weak linkages internally and premature autonomy are more likely to raise a juvenile criminal. Children from disadvantaged family setting with few opportunities for employment and facing risk of social exclusion comprise a higher proportion of juvenile offenders. The predicament of migrants, ethnic minorities, refugees and displaced persons places a distressing attribute in occurrence of juvenile criminals. Regions and countries where there is a higher level of transition, will experience a higher level of juvenile delinquency owing to parents and society neglect of the children well-being (Sprott et al., 2005).

Geographical Location

Occurrence of juvenile criminals is also attributable to geographical locations. Countries where, there are more persons living urban regions display a higher level off criminal delinquency among the youth compared to those with higher rural living population (Sprott et al., 2005). The observable difference is contributed by the fact that, in urban areas social cohesion and control is much looser. In rural settings family and community oversee measures of dealing with antisocial behavior in a much-controlled manner thereby exhibiting lower crime rates. In the urban setting, formal measures comprising of school and churches and the legal systems are charged with the obligation to, oversee and control antisocial tendencies. These institutions are incapacitated to deal with antisocial behaviors owing to their impersonal institutionalization and their lack of cohesion in their undertaking. Measures taken by these urban institutions are different thereby resorting to, uncoordinated efforts of fighting juvenile criminal tendencies in the society (Livingston et al., 2008).

Continued urbanization widens the gap for the urban institutions to foster measures of controlling the youths and guiding them away from juvenile behaviors. The growth observable in urban areas presents a hindrance on the social institutions as well as providing anonymity for juvenile criminals.

Migration to a new region throws an individual setting where the existing social norms are different from those in their original state. The difference secludes a person's acceptability to some levels in the society forcing one especially the young to seek subgroups where the can fit in. The ideal measure will highly alienate the young and push them to form subgroup culture where the come up with their own norms. These norms are likely to conflict with the larger society's norms. However, since the subgroup has embraced alienation, they will care less what the society approves or does not approve. The subgroup develops an acceptable culture that comprises of antisocial behaviors that result to juvenile criminals (Wright & Younts, 2009).

Economic exclusion

As the economic status of some individuals improves, those of other deteriorate thereby necessitating the emergence of a gap presenting obstacles to social cohesion. Additional to the naturally created gap come the inability of the social institution to sufficiently provide economic welfare and guide behavior as well as protect occurrence of social delinquents. This result to the creation of criminal careers among the young an aspect that the existing social institutions face difficulty to control and overwhelm (Wright & Younts, 2009).

Development of juvenile criminals follows from the society's capacity to make a distinction between the rich and the poor. With this division between the rich and poor, young offenders of minor offenses are equally excluded from being part of a functional society. In the end, the petty offenders form a dysfunctional social clique that perpetrate criminal activities and approves these behaviors in line with the own norms. Since the dysfunctional clique will approve the actions of a young offender, it provides a sense of security and approval one that the society fails to offer upon exclusion (Wright & Younts, 2009).

The Media

The media has grown in the recent past, to become a pivotal aspect in the day-to-day livelihood. Individual in the society derive attributes influencing the way they carry themselves in the society from the media. Apparently, social statuses created by economic well-being of individuals are reinforced through the media. From the media, a culture of heroism has developed approving and reinforcing violent behavior and antisocial behaviors. It is evidenced in research that the attributes of violence portrayed by the media a heroic transcend upon the young as desirable. The young adopt these attributes and become violent as well as embracing some antisocial behaviors. Since the society has failed to reinforce the ideal norms on to the young, they end up taking guidance from the media. In the end, the young take up violence and justify their actions with reference to the media (Livingston et al., 2008). The media has to a great extent expanded it influence on the youth and contributed to juvenile criminal.

Conclusion

Juvenile criminals are a creation of the society's own inadequacy and the result of uncontrolled social and economic development. The existing social institutions and family setup need to recognize their responsibility as far the young are concerned. It is inevitable to accept that, the social systems have failed as far controlling juvenile criminal is concerned. Further measures to protect the community from the damages undertaken by the juvenile criminals have also out short by failing to comprehend accurate corrective measures.