Juvenile Delinquency

Young people nowadays, regardless of gender, social origin or country of residence, are subject to individual risks but are also being presented with new individual opportunities—some beneficial and some potentially harmful. Quite often, advantage is being taken of illegal opportunities as young people commit various offences, become addicted to drugs, and use violence against their peers. The problem of juvenile delinquency is becoming more complicated and universal, and crime prevention programmes are either unequipped to deal with the present realities. Many developing countries have done little or nothing to deal with these problems, and international programmes are obviously insufficient. Developed countries are engaged in activities aimed at juvenile crime prevention, but the overall effect of these programmes is rather weak because the mechanisms in place are often inadequate to address the existing situation. Every night - and in many areas day and night, thousands of police car patrol the streets of American towns. The list of crimes starts with petty crimes, goes through house-breaking, shoplifting, mugging to be topped by homicide. Entire neighbourhoods are terrorized by mobsters and thugs, many of them are quite young. As I see, there are many factors that can influence juvenile delinquency. I think the strongest reason is broken families. Studies show that children who receive adequate parental supervision are less likely to engage in criminal activities. Dysfunctional family settings characterized by conflict, inadequate parental control and integration are closely associated with juvenile delinquency. I disagree that the lack of discipline is the major cause of this. Happiness, love, and hope are no longer part of the average teen’s life. Teens turn to crime as an alternative to their stressful lives. They think that the world of crime cares for and accepts them more than their friends and family, and this is starting to become true. The sparkle that used to be in children’s eyes has begun to fade and that is truly the major cause of juvenile delinquency.