Juvenile delinquency in America: causes, statistics, and prevention interventions

Juvenile Delinquency Recent Statistics

Legal Issues

Causes for Juvenile Crimes

Poverty

Family Structure

School Dropout and Delinquency

Reducing Juvenile Crimes: Interventions

School Readiness Childcare programs

Early Identification and Intervention

Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency is a concerning national social issue. Pro-active intervention is the key to preventing children from developing criminal behavior. Though these programs involve considerable running costs, the results are more than worth the expenditure. Investing in the future of our kids is invaluable and could not be put off by economic constraints, as the consequences are both undesirable and unbearable.

Juvenile delinquency is a huge problem worldwide and the U.S. In particular. As per 2002 census, the American juvenile population stood at 25% of the national population and is slated to grow steadily during most part of the 21st century. Today the juvenile justice system serves a rich mixture of racial and ethnic population. There is an increasing ratio of non-white juveniles. In some states such as New Mexico for example; Hispanic juvenile ratio is 51% of the total juvenile population. Other states such as California (45%), Nevada (30%), Texas (42%), have a high percentage of Hispanic juveniles. Similarly, in Mississippi (45%), Louisiana (40%), North Carolina (27%), and Delaware (25%) the ratio of black juveniles is significant. In the district of Columbia, black juveniles account for 72% of the entire juvenile population. [OJJDP] Studies have clearly found the relationship between poverty and juvenile crimes. With the existing disparity in terms of per capita income levels between the different racial groups, it becomes imperative to consider the implications in context of the propensity to crime among juveniles from these varied groups. Let us have a brief overview of the juvenile crimes; their causes and the preventive intervention methods with a particular emphasis on how schools can better prepare themselves for managing and reforming juvenile behavior.

Juvenile Delinquency Recent Statistics

Juvenile delinquency continues to be a pressing problem for America though the latest statistics released by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention shows improvement in terms of juvenile crime rate today compared with similar statistics in its 1991 report. The FBI data also corroborates the decline in juvenile delinquency rates since 1994. The statistics also show a decline in racial disparity in juvenile crimes. For example, juvenile crimes among black community which was six times that of white juvenile offenders in 1980 now fairs considerable better at only four times the white rate. Reports indicate that the number of arrests pertaining to drug abuse among black juveniles fell significantly from five times that of white juvenile drug offenders to less than twice the arrest rate for whites during the same period. In general, it is encouraging to note the decline in juvenile crime rates. Statistics also indicate a demographic change with increasing number of female juvenile offenders. [OJJDP]

Legal Issues

Juveniles in Adult Prisons)

While statistics project a positive picture in reporting a decrease in juvenile crime rate, it is disturbing that increasing number of juveniles are now being tried as adults. States such as North Carolina, New York and Connecticut have allowed anyone over 16 years of age to be tried as an adult. While Other States such as Texas, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri and New Hampshire 17 is the minimum age limit to be tried in adult courts. This is besides the fact that almost 50 states have atleast one provision that allows the criminal prosecutor to charge the juvenile as an adult. The consequence is increasing number of juveniles now serving terms in State prisons. As Vincent Schiraldi, director of the Justice Policy Institute says, "There's some justification for public frustration with the juvenile system, "But sending them (juveniles) to the adult system en masse is no solution. it's hardly a resounding success for the people it's got." [Kate Snow]

Causes for Juvenile Crimes

Family Structure

Family structure plays a crucial if not the proximate cause for juvenile behavior. A study by McCurley and Snyder found that living in two-parent household is the best environment for children. The study reported that youths between the age group of 12 and 17 who lived with both the parents were the least likely to engage in delinquent behaviors such as sexual assault, running away from the house, and other forms of misbehavior. This positive effect of living with both the parents was observed to be independent of racial or ethnic differences suggesting family structure as the single most important factor responsible for delinquent behavior. (McCurley, C., and Snyder) National statistics show that only 71% of children live with both the parents. Racially, black children are the least likely to live with both parents as 52% of black children were found to be living in single parented households. The economical well being of the child is definitely affected by the family structure. While 61% of juveniles living with single parents were dependent on food stamps only 23% of children from two parented households used such assistance. The fact that the number of children living in single parented households has increased from 9% in 1960 to 27% in 2002 is disconcerting given that delinquent behavior and family structure are related to each other.

School Dropout and Delinquency

The increasing high school dropout rate and the decline in the graduation rate has become a pressing problem for the United States. As per the national center for education statistics released in 2005, the graduation rate for the country has declined from an average of 73% in 1990 to just around 68% in 2005. (United Health Foundation). It is a disturbing trend since high school dropouts have problems finding good jobs and are at risk for delinquent behavior. Surveys have also found that young girls who dropout from high school are prone to become pregnant at a much younger age and consequently end up as single parents. (Alexa Lamm). In the increasingly technological corporate world that requires continuous update and learning, the opportunities for high school dropouts are very limited. Unemployment rates are much higher among high school dropouts than those who successfully complete their school graduation. Given the importance of a high school diploma for the future of the young people, researchers have studied the factors that affect school dropout rates both in the positive and negative context. Participation in extra curricular activities, in particular, has been found to have largely positive outcome in reducing the dropout rates.

The 1995 national level data analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services stresses the importance of extra curricular activities among adolescents. The researchers found that adolescent students who are not involved in extra curricular