Juvenile delinquency is a vice affecting many communities in the United States. Besides being a social problem, delinquency is also considered as a psychological problem. Juvenile delinquency refers to any crime committed by a child or adolescent below the age of 18. In recent years, delinquency is considered to be more of a misbehavior than a crime. The result of this misbehavior is punishment and custody control. In the United States, there are special courts that deal with such cases and operate under the children’s Act. The Act also calls for establishment of reformatory schools where these children are taken to have their behavior corrected. At a young age, children get easily manipulated into doing good or bad. There are a number of causes that lead children to crime. These reasons include peer pressure, family background, social set up and finances. In addition, these factors vary between genders. Boys and girls are affected differently in different situations, owing to gender roles, with boys showing a higher affinity to be influenced negatively ( Chesney-Lind & Shelden, 2013) .
A family plays an important role in shaping the behavior of a child. Children learn good and bad attributes from their parents, guardians, and siblings and these attributes become their social norm. Children who show delinquent behavior often come from a family that did not set a strong foundation. These include broken or separated families, families with financial problems, single parent families, parents with a criminal record and parents who are constantly fighting. Sibling rivalry is also a major contributor to delinquency. Economic and social problems tend to cause psychological problems to children such as depression, aggressiveness, and violence in children. When parents and siblings behave immorally, children get the motivation to behave in the same manner ( Chambliss, & Seidman, 1971) .
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Secondly, a gang may act as a solitude for a child because it makes them feel like they belong. Neighborhoods that have heavy gang activity influence children to form their own gangs. Some of the motivating factors include peer pressure or the fact that one of the family members is involved in a gang. Gang membership exposes children to violence, drug abuse, lack of interest in school and immoral sexual behavior. In most communities, the boy child will be more influenced to join a gang so as to show off his courage. The gender roles mold them into being aggressive and assertive by nature. However, in recent years, girls have been known to also get involved in gangs and practice drug abuse and immoral sexual behavior ( Chesney-Lind & Shelden, 2013) .
Chambliss, & Seidman, points out that t he school setting also contributes to delinquency. Children who show early signs of aggression often perform poorly in school, making them intimidated by their classmates. The result is the child being evaluated unfavorably by peers and teachers, causing them to turn to delinquency. Other factors include dropping out from school. To feel this void, the children will get involved in gangs and turn to crime. Other factors such as reading and verbal deficit that cause victimization also lead to delinquency. Children do not like feeling that they are the odd one out, therefore, any activity that makes them feel less than is projected in how they behave. The school setting tends to be harsh with people from different backgrounds and settings and might be too much for a young child to handle. There exists peer associations, grouping, and rejection. Without proper guidance and a wrong family setting, the child will fall into delinquency (1971).
According to Chambliss, & Seidman (1971), o ther factors that cause delinquency are not social or family related. Sometimes, personal reasons may contribute to the vice. For example, disabled children have a hard time fitting in. the society is often cruel to disabled children and might lead them to misbehaving even though they come from a good family background. Racial discrimination also contributes to juvenile delinquency. Adolescents will want to take revenge to the society for being treated unequally. In addition, teenagehood can also lead to delinquency. Boys and girls at this stage are usually trying to figure out and control their emotions but are unable to. Their aggression and anger may go overboard leading them to commit crimes. Finally, mental illnesses and drug usage in teenagers also causes juvenile delinquency. Such children are not in control of their actions and can commit crimes as per their mental state at a particular time.
Children are often not aware of the magnitude of the crimes they commit, unlike adults. Children will act based on their emotions and might overestimate their actions or underestimate the consequences. Nevertheless, their criminal activities are still punishable by law ( Chambliss, & Seidman, 1971). The main objective of punishing these offenders is to set an example to the others so that they may not engage in similar misconducts. The intensity of the punishment is, however, still a debatable issue. In addition, questions arise as to whether the punishment of the boy child should be similar to that of the girl child considering the intensity of the crime committed. Most people argue that with gender equality, the punishments should be equal ( Chesney-Lind, & Shelden, 2013). Double standards on crimes is being eradicated and the justice system seems to be treating both boys and girls equally when it comes to correctional behavior.
Rehabilitation is the most profound treatment measure for juvenile delinquents. If not corrected, delinquency can cause rampant misbehavior in children within the society and unrest. Parents will be taken aback when their children want to socialize. On a higher scale, delinquency tampers with the prosperity and peace of a nation. The population argues that the punishment to these delinquents should be severe. However, psychologists counter argue by claiming that since the crimes are committed by undeveloped minds, caution should be taken in handling the situation. Juvenile delinquency is an anti-social misconduct and therefore efforts should be made to readjust child to the social norms. Hence rehabilitation is essential ( Chesney-Lind & Shelden, 2013) .
The first measure in the readjustment is having parents take proper responsibility of their children. Gender roles should be discussed between parents and their children ( Chesney-Lind, & Shelden, 2013). Boys should be made to understand that despite the fact that they are supposed to be the protectors, aggressiveness is not the solution. Parents should take interest and monitor the lives of their children. If a child shows signs of being involved in a gang, the activity should be discouraged before it gets out of hand. Parents should also monitor what their children engage in through social media platforms. Children should be encouraged to have friends who influence them positively and steer away from those involved in drug abuse and violence. For children with disabilities, the parents should teach them how to accept themselves as they are. In a school setting, teachers should keep their heads up for bullying and any activity that may lead a child into delinquency. Group activities that encourage unity and belongingness should be added to the curriculum. In addition, since the causes of delinquency are different, each child should be considered individually and their social needs met so as to effectively readjust them to the community.
The second measure to rehabilitate this children is through the special schools established by the government as per the children’s Act. These reformatory schools have well-trained teachers as well as psychologist who help the children overcome their anti-social behavior and become more accustomed to the society. In the past, juvenile correction centers had a lot of brutality causing more harm than good. However, in recent years, there has been a remarkable change in the treatment of juvenile delinquents resulting in less cases of delinquency. There has also been establishment of remand homes where these young offenders are taken for rehabilitation. Physical punishment has been replaced by having the children taught how to have a different outlook of life. Besides being counseled on bad behavior, juvenile delinquents are equipped with technical skills that enable them to earn a livelihood once they are out of the rehabilitation centers. These minimizes the chances of an individual embarking on crime after the sentence ( Chesney-Lind & Shelden, 2013) .
In conclusion, the society at large has a role to play in shaping the behavior of children. Positive attributes such as honesty, love, and friendliness should be shown to children so that they grow into well-behaved individuals. Children who show signs of delinquency should not be hated or discriminated by the society. The government should also ensure that the correction facilities are well equipped to rehabilitate these children.
References
Chambliss, W. J., & Seidman, R. B. (1971). Law, order, and power . Addison-Wesley.
Chesney-Lind, M., & Shelden, R. G. (2013). Girls, delinquency, and juvenile justice . John Wiley & Sons.
