General Environmental Causes of Juvenile Delinquency
Peer Influence
Despite the fact that juveniles may appear to be just as
intelligent and cognitively developed as adults, their ability
to regulate their behavior accordingly is still adolescent.
Recent work done by a professor of Psychology, Laurence
Steinberg, found that adolescents do not fully understand how to
deploy their cognitive skills until their late teenage to early
adult years. Steinberg found that at the same time when a young
person is going through physical changes as a result of puberty,
his or her brain is also going through an extreme
transformation. The brain is not fully developed until a person
in their mid-20 and adolescences lend to social variables, such
as friends, to help make everyday decisions (Steinberg, 2005).
Moreover, research has found that adolescence is the period in
which most begin to break away from principles instilled in them
by their parents and develop their own set of values (Childs,
2010). Adolescents often then look towards their peers for
social regulation. According to Southerland’s Differential
Association Theory, criminal behavior is thought of as a
communal process in which one learns criminal behavior through
social influence (AS cited by Browne, 2013).
Family Structure
There is an abundance of research that examines the impact
of family structure on delinquency. The majority of research
finds that youth from broken homes report increased levels of
delinquency. For example, in a longitudinal survey of 411 males
living in South London, Juby and Farrington (2001) found that
delinquency rates were higher among 75 boys who were living in
non-intact homes compared to boys living in intact families.
Moreover, Price and Kunz (2003) conducted a meta-analysis
involving 72 studies that involved divorce and juvenile
delinquency. The results indicated that children from divorced
homes have higher rates of delinquency (status offenses, crimes
against person, felony theft, general delinquency, tobacco and
drug use) compared to children from intact homes, with the
exception of alcohol use (As cited by Parks, 2013).
Children from broken homes have been found to be involved
in a significantly higher amount of delinquent acts than
children from intact homes. Both male and female children from
broken homes were found to be negatively affected by parental
absence. For instance, girls from a single parent household
(emphasis on paternal absence) have been associated with
delinquency issues related to vandalism and auto trespassing,
run away, incorrigibility and sexual deviancy. Male children
from broken homes have been found to be involved in higher rates
of alcohol and drug usage, promiscuity, property offenses and
traffic violation . Children from a broken home have been found
to be two to three times more likely to have emotional and
behavioral problems, when compared to children from intact homes
( Mullens, 2006).
Cultural Factors
Delinquent behavior often occurs in social settings in
which the norms for acceptable behavior have broken down. Under
such circumstances many of the common rules that deter people
from committing socially unacceptable acts may lose their
relevance for some members of society. They respond to the
traumatizing and destructive changes in the social reality by
engaging in rebellious, deviant or even criminal activities. An
example of such a setting would be the modernization of
traditional societies and the accompanying changes wrought by
the application of new technologies; shifts of this magnitude
affect the types and organization of labor activity, social
characteristics, lifestyles and living arrangements, and these
changes, in turn, affect authority structures, forms of
obedience, and modes of political participation—even going so
far as to influence perceptions of reality (world youth report,
2006).
Physical Conditions
The first category is the physical condition of a child that
influences the child’s behavior in a number of ways that may
eventually translate to delinquent behaviors. Physical issues
such as disabilities, malnutrition, and drug abuse amongst
others contribute to how a child responds to certain situations.
These physical conditions of the child may influence their
behavior in several ways. First, the physical disabilities may
be the direct cause of the delinquency. Secondly, to compensate
for these disabilities, the child may engage in delinquent
behavior. Lastly, the nature of the bodily condition may result
in abundance of energy finding outlet in delinquency behaviour
(As Cited by Howell, 2015).
The Effects of Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile delinquency is a big problem in the United States,
where 92,854 minors were incarcerated in residential facilities
for juveniles in 2006. In fact, about 17% of all the people
arrested in the United States are under the age of 18. Not only
does the problem affect the victims of the crime; it also
affects the juvenile delinquent family, future, and society as a
whole.
Effects on the Victims
The most obvious people affected by juvenile
delinquency are the victims. Whether the crime involves theft,
vandalism, or violence, the victim always suffers loss. The
victim may incur expenses related to lost wages, health care, or
psychological care in addition to the cost of replacing damaged
or destroyed items.
Effects on the Juvenile Delinquent
The juvenile who commits a crime also suffers
effects that he or she is probably unable to predict. He or she
may lose his or her freedom while being incarcerated or placed
on probation. The juvenile may lose ground academically as well.
Although placement in residential detention centers for
juveniles may be appropriate consequences for the adolescent's
criminal actions, it also puts him or her in relationships with
other delinquents, who may be more sophisticated or influential.
This makes recidivism likely and, in many states, when a
juvenile older than 14 becomes a repeat offender, he or she can
be tried and sentenced as an adult. The delinquency may even
have future consequences on the adolescent's college and career
choices.
Effects on the Families
The upheaval and trauma of having a family member
who is a juvenile delinquent can create instability for the
other relatives. Not only does the family have to cope with the
needs of the child who is in trouble, but they may also have to
raise large amounts of money to pay for lawyers. In addition,
the family has to face the ethical issues of responsibility to
the victims of the child's crime. Families must usually attend
group counseling sessions, which can be disruptive and costly
during the time when the child is in detention or on probation.
Effects on the Community
There is a correlation between juvenile delinquency and
drug use, gang involvement, alcohol abuse, and sexual behavior.
All of these issues challenge communities by making
neighborhoods unsafe and costing large amounts of public money
to be spent on law enforcement and school safety.
Effects on Society
Young people who commit serious crimes before they are 18
years old challenge the future for everyone involved. They may
be acting out to protest perceived abuses that have been
perpetrated against them. They may believe that there is no
future for them outside of a life of crime. They may be
expressing anger or frustration directed against another person
or group or looking for approval from a gang. Whatever the
motive, juvenile delinquency affects too many American
individuals, families, and communities. It is a serious problem
that challenges the efforts of government agencies, politicians,
educators, faith communities, and nonprofit organizations alike.
Causes of Juvenile Delinquency
Insufficient Education
Criminology data regarding undereducated children and
juvenile crime show a strong correlation. From an early age,
failure at school is an important factor for predicting future
criminal behavior. In fact, a 25 year-long study of 1,500
children in low-income inner-city Chicago neighborhoods found
that children who attended a high-quality preschool were 28%
less likely to develop drug problems or be incarcerated in
adulthood. Additionally, they were 22% less likely to be
arrested for a felony and 24% more likely to attend a four-year
college.
In our nation’s failing public schools, children experience
“overcrowded classrooms, a lack of qualified teachers, and
insufficient funding for ‘extras’ such as counselors, special
education services, and even textbooks.”1 These inadequacies are
what the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) says are the
beginning of the School-to-Prison pipeline, the policies and
practices of the American school system that push many
schoolchildren on a path to incarceration.
If children have poor academic performance, poor
attendance, face expulsion or drop out of school, their
probability of committing crime is magnified. Leaving school
early reduces the chance that juveniles will develop the social
skills that are gained in school, such as learning to meet
deadlines, following instructions, and being able to deal
constructively with their peers. A child without a proper
education will eventually learn that he or she is at a
disadvantage in the workforce. This feeling of hopelessness,
exacerbated by the national media’s emphasis on low employment
numbers and fiscal crises, can create an environment ripe for
juvenile crime(Regis University, 2017).
SUBSTANCE ABUSE RISK FACTORS
Substance abuse is found in a majority of cases of juvenile
delinquency, Two trends are identified in regard to substance
abuse and minors. First, juveniles are using more powerful drugs
today than was the case as recently as 10 years ago. Second, the
age at which some juveniles begin using drugs is younger.
Children in elementary schools are found to be using powerful
illegal drugs. The use of these illegal substances or the use of
legal substances illegally motivates young people to commit
crimes to obtain money for drugs. Additionally, juveniles are
far more likely to engage in destructive, harmful and illegal
activities when using drugs and alcohol(Broemmel, 2017).
Peer Pressure
Adolescence can be a painful time of growing into oneself
and seeking acceptance from peers and social groups. Wanting to
fit in and be accepted often serves as motivation for teens to
succumb to peer pressure. In a recent survey of nearly 1,000
teenagers, only 10% said that they had not been influenced by
peer pressure2. Young people cite peer pressure as one of the
major reasons they engage in risky behavior, such as teen sex,
reckless driving, alcohol, drug and tobacco-use, crime and gang
activity.
In some societies, especially inner-city areas, it is common
knowledge that gang activity is high and many teens become
involved. What is becoming further understood is how gang, drug
and other criminal activity can be profoundly influenced by peer
contagion, a phenomenon whereupon deviant behavior committed by
one adolescent is transferred or transmitted to other
adolescents. Interestingly, the ripple effect of peer contagion
has impact on groups of teens in geographic areas such as
neighborhoods, subsequently forming gang territories.
Peer pressure is such an integral part of gang activity
that the New York City Police Department has developed a unique
“forced outreach” program. The purpose of the program is to
track at-risk teenagers and separate them from the negative
influences of gang activity in an attempt to sever this
emotional entanglement, giving these teens the space to make
better choices. Edwin Sutherland’s Differential Association
Theory, which predicts that an individual will choose the
criminal path when the majority of his/her learned attitudes,
which are influenced by their social group, view law-breaking as
favorable. This learned behavior, and the powerful influence of
the social group on attitudes toward lawlessness, aptly explain
how peer influences can affect juvenile crime in a negative
way(Regis University, 2017).
Family Issues
Family plays a huge part in the development of an
adolescent, both positive and negative. Adolescents learn what
is and is not acceptable by the surrounding environments, which
is dominated by the family life. For example, if a father
disrespects and hits a mother, then a son might consider this as
acceptable and copy it later in his life.
Coming from a broken home through abandonment or divorce
can profoundly affect a teen's perception of life. Sometimes in
these situations, a teen can be neglected, punished too harshly
or not regularly disciplined. Any of these conditions can cause
juvenile delinquency as the teen has missed out on complete
moral development(Eleanor, 2015)
MENTAL HEALTH RISK FACTORS
Several mental health factors are also seen as contributing
to juvenile delinquency. It is important to keep in mind,
however, that a diagnosis of certain types of mental health
conditions--primarily personality disorders--cannot be made in
regard to child. However, there are precursors of these
conditions that can be exhibited in childhood that tend to end
up being displayed through delinquent behavior. A common one is
conduct disorder. Conduct disorder is defined as "a lack of
empathy and disregard for societal norms" (As cited by Broemmel,
2017).
MENTAL FACTORS
Mental factors, like physical factors, may determine
delinquent behavior in one or more of three ways: (1)
Delinquency may be the direct response to, or expression of, a
particular mental state, for example, obsessive imagery. (2)
Delinquency may be the expression of certain impulses or
emotions left uncontrolled or stimulated by a special mental
condition; (3) Delinquency may be an attempt at adjustment or
compensation for certain mental peculiarities(Bridges, 2008).
