Causes and Prevention of Criminal Behaviour in Youths

Abstract 

This research explores juvenile delinquency with the purpose of identification of the causes of criminal behavior among the youth. Departing from the exploratory analysis, juvenile delinquency has been identified as a key problem in the society as well as the country today. Therefore, this study seeks to identify the causes of criminal behavior in youth and simultaneously identify applicable solutions to minimize the problem. To achieve its objective, the paper employs the use of mixed method research design. The method is chosen for its comprehensive design and applicability in this subject matter. Therefore, the data collected will be quantitative and qualitative and will be analyzed accordingly. 

Introduction 

Juvenile delinquency is a term used to describe criminal behavior among the young people, mainly children below the legal age. Youths and especially teenagers are exposed to the world in different ways, and it’s during learning stage that they tend to experiment on various issues. With limited information and misconception, or even through other predispositions, they commit crimes. This research proposes to find out the underlying causes of juvenile delinquency. Through an examination of various facets of the causes of criminal behavior among children, the research seeks to ascertain probable solutions that can be applied to reduce the vice. 

Problem statement 

There is overwhelming news every day of the increasing state of crimes that are being committed in the country. More so, a growing percentage of that crime has been reported to be committed by young people below the legal age. The youth criminal behavior possesses a question to the society about the status of raising children as well as the socialization model adopted to ensure that the teenage youth have a future and a moral compass in the society. For instance, in 2015, the United States law enforcement arrested an estimated 921,600 youth below the age of eighteen(Pardini, 2016). Even though the number is a reduction from the previous years, it’s an indication of preference rate of teenage criminal behavior. Therefore, such statistics possess the question; what are the causes of juvenile delinquency? And what solutions can be applied to solve the problem? 

Research objectives 

To find out the causes of criminal behavior in youths 

To find out the possible solutions applicable to reduce criminal behavior among youths 

Literature review 

Juvenile delinquency 

Criminal behavior and tendencies on children are what has been referred to as juvenile delinquency. In the United States, the rate of crime among children especially teenagers exists in large numbers. The pattern can be attributed to various factors within the society as well as the process of socialization of the children. Therefore, juvenile delinquency identifies a social problem within the society. In a country that has increased crime rates in various societies of various backgrounds and culture, juvenile delinquency is a significant contributor to the crime rates even in adults when they grow up. There is a reason to be concerned with the increased crime rates in the United States; this is because the crime among children below the legal age is a large contributor to the crime rates among adults. Therefore, the discussion that follows will highlight various perspectives on the causes of crime among children and possible solutions. 

Causes and solutions to criminal behavior among the youth 

Juvenile delinquency is perceived in various perspectives and it’s through those approaches that cause of criminal behavior in the youth can be established. The youth do not live in a vacuum; they exist in various facets of the society that shape their behavior. The social setup through which the children are socialized into include; the family, school and the society itself (Thompson and Bynum, 2016).Another perspective that exists to shape a child’s behavior includes peer friendships. 

Family 

The family forms the primary and fundamental socialization channel for the child. It is at the family level that children can understand how the world works. Being the default learning tool, a child has no choice in the family he/she is born in. The family installs basic concepts of what is right and wrong, perceived or real. The family, therefore, possesses a critical role in the behavior of the child. In most cases, the challenges that exist within the family unit tend to manifest themselves in family behavior (Aebi, et.l 2013).From the perspective of the various aspects of the family, delinquent behavior is generated. 

These aspects include Family structure: nature at which the family is build-up affects the behavior of the children in that unit. For instance, a single-parent household has been termed to have a preference for children with delinquent behavior. This is mainly contributed by the absence of the parent in the attempt to earn a living to support the family. The children are left with no parent to direct their actions while interacting with others in the society. Parenting style: the approach used by the parent has a direct implication to children behavior. For instance, a parent who may use harsh punishment and parenting style predispose the children to delinquent behavior. The child grows with the disrespect that is directed to the parent which may result in violent behavior.Family morality: moral standards that are expected to be upheld by individuals in the society are installed in the family. When the family has broken morals, for instance, the parents are criminals or tend to overlook general rules in the society. The children in the family tend to copy or emulate the behavior of their parents; this leads to cases of juvenile delinquency. 

Solutions 

Family causes of criminal behavior have been reflected to have solutions that are unique to the family. Every family is different, and what may cause criminal behavior in one family is not necessarily what causes delinquency in another. Therefore solutions, in this case, tend to be tailor made for each family situation. However, there are broad concepts that can be applied to families and they encompass possible solutions to criminal behavior among the youth. For instance, parenting should have a strong presence in shaping the behavior of the child. They should be able to set time aside for interacting with the children and parent accordingly(Aebi, et.l 2013). Being the moral guide of the child, positive attitudes and morals should be encouraged in the family. And finally, parents and older siblings should be examples of how life should be lived; this is because children will tend to emulate their lives as a direction to theirs. 

Peer relationships 

As children grow older, they forge their relationships with other children in the society. The group of friends that a child joins influence the behavior of the child. Group psychology dictates that a child may have little resistance to actions directed by fellow peers despite the morality of those actions. The condition is often referred to as peer pressure. Teenage children have a high preference to delinquent behavior for that reason. Peers influence on delinquent behavior in several ways. For instance, when friends are involved in unlawful actions, they tend to carry their friends along. With the fear of being left out, a child often finds him/herself involved in the crimes committed. Similarly, when a child has friends with more resources and a higher lifestyle than his/hers, they may tend to seek such resources that often lead to delinquent conduct in the attempt to fit in. Teenagers often organize themselves in cliques. In schools, the cliques are in constant competition for fame and dominance. Research has indicated that most of the dominant and famous cliques in schools are those that participate in delinquent behavior(Nisar, Ullah, Ali, &Alam, 2015).That predisposes other groups to participate in criminal conduct in pursuit of fame and dominance. 

Solutions 

Peer relationships may have both a positive and negative influence on the behavior of the child. Therefore, children should not be discouraged to have friends. On the contrary, parents should encourage children to have friends for better socialization in the society. To curb juvenile delinquency, parents and teachers should encourage positive behavior in the groups that their children join. By engaging the groups in positive activities such as sports, art or other social events, children will rarely engage in criminal conduct. Similarly, parents should be categorical with the friends who their children are hanging around with. 

Individual reasons 

Children like any other person have their problems that may push them towards criminal conduct irrespective of their background or society. The problems tend to manifest themselves in psychological issues that the child might be going through. For instance, physical problems such as indifference of a child’s physic may cause issues of withdrawal or rejection from other children. Such problems may cause issues of anxiety and volatile behavior that may predispose the child towards criminal conduct(Bartol, 2014). The behavior festers due to the cruel nature of the society towards indifference. Therefore, the child builds up negative emotions and feelings that lead to criminal behavior and even pre dispose the child to issues of drugs and substance abuse. 

Solutions 

Parents as the primary care givers and protectors of the children should perspire to provide children with the necessary tools to survive in the society. Parents have no capacity to change the society that the child lives in. The solution comes from equipping and preparing the child to live positively in the real world. Researchers have different approaches to achieve this result, but the major theme stems from positive reinforcement and building the self-esteem of the children. Similarly, parents should be in a position to notice and identify the problems that their children are going through and be there to provide guidance and shape the behavior of the child. 

Possible solutions application 

Solutions discussed in the above research are an indication of the possible ways through which criminal behavior can be addressed among teenagers. However, every case of juvenile delinquency is unique to the situation in which the child is in. There are several aspects through which the issue of child behavior has to be addressed. Therefore, it's imperative to investigate the cause of the problem as well as the aspects that surround the situations that need be addressed. For instance, according to children psychologists, various aspects of the child's life interact for the child to act out. Similarly, solutions to the problem ought to be peculiar to the cause and environment of the child. For instance, there is an interplay between the economic status of the parents, the level of education as well as the culture in which the child is socialized into (Gini, Pozzoli and Hymel 2014). Therefore solutions should not be iron clad, but rather a specially modified to the child's situation. 

Research design/methods 

The research design that will be employed in this research is informed by the nature of the research as well as the objectives of the study. Therefore, with the aim of identifying the causes of criminal behavior and applicable solutions in young people, this research will employ a combination of qualitative as well as the quantitative research designs(Morse, 2016). 

Qualitative research 

In the set, the application of the qualitative research will be crucial for the purpose of understanding the causes as well as possible solutions. Through employment of research methods such as interviews, focus group discussions as well as the open ended questionnaires; the researcher will be able to gain valuable insights to the research problem. The data collected will be synthesized qualitatively to provide information that identifies the nature of juvenile delinquency. 

Quantitative research 

Qualitative research is valuable to this research due to the magnitude of the data that will be collected in the study. With the application of the design, the researcher will employ the use of surveys as the appropriate method in the study. This is because, through the use of survey, the population of study will be expanded. Therefore, the data collected as well as the information synthesized after the study can be generalized to fit the whole society. Therein, the researcher will apply survey tools such as questionnaires and closed interview guides. 

References 

Aebi, M., Plattner, B., Metzke, C. W., Bessler, C., &Steinhausen, H. C. (2013). Parent ‐ and self ‐ reported dimensions of oppositionality in youth: construct validity, concurrent validity, and the prediction of criminal outcomes in adulthood.  Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry ,  54 (9), 941-949. 

Bartol, A. M., &Bartol, C. R. (2014).  Criminal behavior: A psychological approach . Boston: Pearson, c2014. xxiii, 644 pages: illustrations; 24 cm.. 

Bartollas, C. L., &Schmalleger, F. J. (2014).  Juvenile delinquency .Prentice Hall. 

Gini, G., Pozzoli, T., & Hymel, S. (2014). Moral disengagement among children and youth: A meta‐analytic review of links to aggressive behavior.  Aggressive behavior ,  40 (1), 56-68. 

Nisar, M., Ullah, S., Ali, M., & Alam, S. (2015). Juvenile delinquency: The Influence of family, peer and economic factors on juvenile delinquents.  Applied Science Report ,  9 (1), 37-48. 

Morse, J. M. (2016).  Mixed method design: Principles and procedures  (Vol. 4).Routledge. 

Pardini, D. (2016). Empirically based strategies for preventing juvenile delinquency.  Child and adolescent psychiatric clinics of North America ,  25 (2), 257-268. 

Thompson, W. E., & Bynum, J. E. (2016).  Juvenile delinquency: A sociological approach . Rowman & Littlefield.