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As we grow up we are and become a product of our environment. Race and ethnically background play huge roles in who we are, how we are raised and what kind of life we provide for ourselves. It would be very hard to say that every aspect of Juvenile delinquency is because of race or ethnicity, but there is without an influence. Many people are not aware of the amount of serious crime that is committed by Juveniles that in turn place them in the Jail or prison system for long term. There are many different aspects within the Juvenile delinquency topic that will be examined.
The first one is regarding age. This is not necessarily going to be specific to the age off person is hen their crimes are committed, but when does a majority of the delinquency begin. The second aspect of this topic that is important is to examine the crimes that the Juveniles are committing. Each different crime that is committed means a different type or form of sentencing. The third aspect of this topic and is without a doubt much of the cause of the crime are criminal street gangs. The general population has little to no idea about how significant the gang problem in our society is.
This problem also plays a major role in how race and ethnicity have become to play such a significant role. When you look at our society criminal Justice system there are many different views. In many cases the adults who spend their lives in Jail or prison were Juvenile offenders as well. They also do not for the most part have any significant hope for changing who and how they operate as a person. The juveniles on the other hand are still very influential and can be saved. . In every one of the above issues race and ethnicity have a part and taking the time to understand this can assist us in saving the Juveniles of our community. Surveys conducted over the past twenty years in several English-speaking Mounties reveal that most members of the public subscribe to a number of misconceptions about Juvenile crime and Justice. Regardless of actual trends, significant majorities believe youth crime to be increasing, and most people have quite negative views of youth courts. The public display considerable ambivalence with respect to Juvenile Justice. While strong majorities favor punishing violent juveniles with the same severity as adults, there has always been considerable support for rehabilitation” (Roberts, 2004, p. ). Beginning Stages of Delinquency crime or do they become a delinquent. There have been many different studies conducted on this topic. One of the most interesting things that has been determined that there is no specific age in which a child becomes a delinquent but there is in fact an age range. Many studies show that from the ages of twelve years old to nineteen years old the child develops his or her tendencies to commit crimes and become what our society deems a Juvenile delinquent. It has also been found that boys are more often delinquent than girls from within this age range.
In many cases the Juveniles that commit the crimes or offenses are not always the same as he crime that an adult would be committing. A prime example of this type of crime would be truancy from school; this is not considered a criminal offense. In Juveniles it has been discovered that nearly fifty percent of the property crimes that are committed are and have been committed by male Juveniles. Female delinquency is significantly less common when the crimes are considered serious or those that would be the same as adults commit.
Much of the research that has been conducted show that in many cases that Juvenile delinquency occurs due to problems within the home life. It is significantly more common for a Juvenile to become a delinquent because of the issues that he or she with their parental status at home. Some of the contributing factors contained within this area are a lack of supervision, a lack of discipline and or a social or economic status struggle. In many instances children begin to act out and act in ways that they know is wrong, but they are Just trying to get their parent’s attention.
Although there are many people who are quick to point the finger at a child’s parents this is not the only cause. “Adolescence is the period of transition between childhood and adulthood. Developmentally have traditionally viewed adolescence as a time of psychosocial storm and stress??of bearing the burdens of wanting to be an adult long before becoming one. Developmentally today are more likely to view adolescence as a positive time of opportunities and growth, as most adolescents make it through this transition without serious problems or rifts with parents” (“Classifies. Mom,” 2000-2011, p. 1). The most common age that a Juvenile begins to become delinquent is impossible to determine because the children on this path commit crimes along the way, most of which that are undetected or unreported. In most cases the crimes that we here about are the serious ones. Children go through many different changes as they grow older. Some of these changes are not for the good either! Children want to be accepted, and in many cases this means committing wrongful acts to fit in. Generally the crimes start as small or non-violent crimes and escalate.
Common Crimes of Our Youth if you had to look at all the Juvenile delinquents in our society and guess what the most common crime is what would your guess be; theft, vandalism, assault, battery, murder? These would all be good guesses but are in fact incorrect. Drum roll please, and the correct answer is substance abuse, also known as drug use. The biggest issue that our communities are facing is our Juveniles using drugs and this leading into the more severe violent crimes. “In 1997, courts with Juvenile Jurisdiction disposed of nearly 1. Million cases nationwide for delinquency alone representing over one million individual Juveniles who came into contact with the court that year. Many of these youth have alcohol, drug, or mental health (ADAM) problems” (Bread, where our Juvenile’s problems begin. The biggest issue that this creates is that the alcohol and substance abuse that surrounds our youth has been proven to be a gateway into more serious crimes. ” Florist’s population of 10 to 17-year-olds decreased 2% between 2006 and 2010. As of August 2010, Florist’s population of 10 to 17 year-olds was estimated to be approximately 1. 5 million. Misdemeanors theft was the most common reason for referral to the Department. During FYI 2009-10, there were 16,516 delinquency referrals where the most serious offense was misdemeanors theft. Burglary is the felony offense committed most often by juveniles. During FYI 2009-10, there were 11,831 delinquency referrals where the most errors offense was burglary’ (“Five Year Juvenile Delinquency Trends and Conditions,” 2006-2010, p. 1). Very rarely will we ever see a youth who starts off with a violent crime and regresses to a non-violent crime such as vandalism, or even truancy.
It is a very common and typical road that each Juvenile follows, and as they progress and get older the crimes become more serious. Criminal Street Gangs Criminal street gangs are much more prevalent than most would like to believe. Once a Juvenile starts to feel as though he is being accepted and part of the group he or she will begin to want and be willing to do more. Contrary to what most of our society believes criminal street gangs are very prevalent, and are the cause of much of the delinquency in our Juveniles. As stated above, many of our youth are striving to fit in and to be a part of something.
In many cases where a youth does not receive what he or she needs from their parents become able to turn to gangs. “Estimates of the magnitude of youth gang problems in the United States steadily increased over the last decades of the twentieth century. An unprecedented public and government response to gang problems at federal, state, and local levels began n 1989” (Decker & curry, 2011, p. 1). One of the biggest issues that gangs cause within I our youth that in turn runs into their adulthood is the segregation of races and ethnicities.
Within the gang world, people are segregated by the color of their skin and this is how an individual would initially Join. The blacks for the most part associate with the bloods and the Crisps, both of which are rivals. The Hispanics all fall under two groups. The Northerners or the Sureness. The first is known as the northern Mexicans or Muenster Familial, and the other is the Southern Mexicans. The south falls under what most know as the Mexican Mafia or MME. The whites are known as woods and fall under the ABA or also known as the Aryan Brotherhood.
All of these gangs have numerous subsets and cliques. The biggest reason why gangs cause racial tension is because a member must be all about their race. This means selling drugs, committing assaults and in some cases even murders on the other gangs. It is a known fact that when a person devotes his or her life to a gang there is only one of two places they will end up. The first one is Jail or prison and the second is dead. This is no life for any out. In reference too Juvenile’s final destination to Jail or prison there is one point that I think that has significant value.
When anyone is held in custody they are segregated based on their gang classification and their race. I know that this is done because of the safety and security of the facilities but this also fuels the drug sales, racial, and ethical issues that are present already. Conclusion and ethnicity issues. One of the most saddening things that any caring adult can see is when a Juvenile chooses the wrong path, and won’t accept the advice that is needed to correct it. Acceptance, cliques, and finally gangs further the issues and in some cases ensure that the wrong doings are unforgivable, and a young life is ruined.