Essay On Juvenile Fire Setter

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The experimental, curious, and accidental fire setter is typically a younger child with low impulse control. The child is a hands-on-learner and likes to explore their environment. They well may feel fear, sadness, or loss resulting from setting a fire. This type of fire setter will use matches, cigarette lighters, and available combustibles found in or around their home. Their fires are not very sophisticated and they may extinguish the fire or ignore it. The child has little or no adult supervision or safety awareness. The parents or guardians may deny the child’s involvement, be embarrassed, and may be very aware of the behavior and will not report the behavior to anyone.
Experts theorize that children develop cognitively in stages and …show more content…

Experts believe this is because juveniles from poorer backgrounds have lower expectations on what they can accomplish in their lives and are at greater risk of criminal conduct. Despite these studies not all juvenile fire setters come from a poor background. The average age of a juvenile fire setter is approximately eleven years old. The juvenile offender is largely male making up 94 percent of total offenders. Children raised in single parent homes lack adult supervision and guidance due that the mother does not have time to supervise her child or children due that she may be working several jobs for extra income. Parental rejection is strongly pointed as being the most powerful predictor of delinquency. Children lacking a healthy intact family system appear to be at a higher risk of delinquent behavior. A negative family background seems pivotal in factoring juvenile delinquency. Juveniles lacking strong parental discipline, facing marital discord, abuse, neglect, and parents with criminal behavior can contribute to delinquency. Two parent homes today are now in decline and this appears to be the standard moving toward the future. Williams, D. (n.d.) Understanding the Arsonist: From Assessment to Confession (2nd

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