Juvenile Crime
One possible cause could be the change in our family structure. Nowadays there are not the family structures of two parents and 2.4 children, with one parent working and the other bringing up the children at home. There is an increased risk of offending among children of teenage mothers associated with low income, poor housing, absent fathers and poor child-rearing methods.
Physical abuse or neglect by parents or a family member could also increase the risk of the children, in turn, becoming violent offenders in later life. Lack of supervision and parental control due to family separation or divorce and living in an area of high unemployment, can also contribute to Juvenile delinquency. Social and economic deprivations are also important predictors of antisocial behaviour and crime.
Parental supervision and discipline: harsh or erratic parental discipline and cold or rejecting parental attitudes have been linked to delinquency and are associated with children's lack of internal inhibitions against offending. Physical abuse by parents has been associated with an increased risk of the children themselves becoming violent offenders in later life. Also lack of correct supervision in the home, with parents either absent or uninterested in what their children are doing. Parents monitoring their children's emotions and reactions and setting punishments at home when the child does something wrong will almost guarantee that a child will be under control. Moreover, in order for a juvenile not to commit crimes, he or she must possess strong family values and a strong conscience.
Parental conflict and separation: living in a home affected by separation or divorce is more strongly related to delinquency than when the disruption has been caused by the death of one parent. However, it may not be a 'broken home' that creates an increased risk of offending so much as the parental conflict that lead to the separation.
If a child has a parent or sibling that is a criminal,...
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