Crime is sometimes blamed on the family, with poor
parenting, lack of discipline and family breakdown often associated
with youth crime. A recurrent theme in academic research has been to
investigate the relationship between delinquency and a range of family
related factors. Early studies explored child-rearing behaviour,
parental discipline, the criminal histories of parents and family size
and income. Popular theories in the 1950s and 1960s related juvenile
delinquency to material deprivation, broken homes and to the growing
number of ‘latch key’ children who were left unsupervised after school
while their mothers went to work. All of these presaged current
concerns with discipline and the role of single-parent families. What
has emerged from this research is that some family factors are related
to the likelihood of delinquency but that they must be considered in
the context of the socio-economic circumstances of the family and the
others factors such as school and the peer group. The following
factors have emerged as particularly important.
Parental discipline and supervision
Parental discipline has always been seen as a major factor underlying
youth crime and it was found that inconsistent and erratic discipline
are more likely to be associated with delinquency than lax or strict
discipline (West and Farrington 1973, 1977). More recent studies have
focused on the quality of parental supervision, often measured by
whether parents know where their children are when they are not at
home. A Home Office study in 1995, for example, found that supervision
was strongly related to offending with higher numbers of those who
were no...
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...ng number of people who are able to work but choose not
to, live in a ‘different world’ from others. They do not obtain good
habits and discipline and their values contaminate ‘the life of entire
neighbourhoods’ (Murray 1996:p123). Men in such communities cannot
support families, leading to high rates of illegitimacy, and seek
alternative, destructive means of proving that they are men. Whole
communities are devastated by crime and young men look up to criminal
role models.
Whether or not the underclass exists, most agree that industrial
restructuring has led to the growth of communities within which the
majority of inhabitants are excluded from work and its associated
benefits, and that these are also characterised by high amounts of
property crime, youth crime and illegal drug use (Davies, Croall &
Tyrer 1999).
However, Peter had left the household in 2001, but still supported the family financially. In the book Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach by Curt R. Bartol discusses the parental and family risk factors of single-parent households. In the early studies it was concluded that delinquents are more likely to come from homes where parents were separated or divorced. In recent studies researchers have looked into the correlation of single-parent households, the quality of the parent-child relationship, economic status, emotional support available, and more. In the study of “conflict-ridden vs. conflict-free” it focused on the process rather than structure of family. Children from a single-parent home that are relatively conflict-free are less likely to be a delinquent than children from conflict-ridden “intact” homes. A stable, secure, and mutually supportive family is exceedingly important
Two of the major criminological theories of the twentieth century are Merton’s strain/anomie theory and Shaw and McKay’s social disorganization. Both theories were very important in their time, and still influence theorization today. This paper will discuss both theories and point out similarities and differences.
Patrick F. Fagan in “Disintegration of the family is the real root cause of violent crime” addresses the main causes of violent crime in context of modern day affairs. Fagan’s approach to inform readers of his opinion is a strategic method of integrating examples of his research into his evidence supporting his position. He ensures to acknowledge major opposing theories and he is very well organized in stating his supporting proof. Although Fagan uses his expertise in marriage as a basis for argument, his open mindedness shows a deep understanding of his point that the underlying cause of violent crimes can be accredited to illegitimacy.
Thompson, W. E. and Bynum J. E. (2010). Juvenile Delinquency: A sociological Approach Eighth Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
The reason for the lack of sufficient changes in juvenile delinquency is that the problems that leads to juvenile delinquency starts in the home and there has not been enough attention paid to the family dynamics which causes delinquency. Parents are the first relationship chi...
It is a sad fact of life that crime is everywhere – in cities, in suburbs, in country towns; committed by the poor, the desperate, the greedy, and, yes, by the rich, too. We must accept that the level of crime in the society is inversely proportional to the vigilance with which we fight it. Policing the streets and chasing criminals is just part of the settlement. The police can only do so much to impede crime. It is up to every individual to make the difference, and there is plenty that you and I can do.
According the Rogers (2013), there are causal factors at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels that can lead youth to engage in delinquent activity. At the micro level, the factors that predict delinquency involve: being male, low educational achievement, low impulse control, childhood aggression, antisocial behavior, and hyperactivity. At the mezzo level, family conflict, lack of family support and appropriate discipline, and negative peer pressure can be risk factors for juvenile. On a macro level, youth that live in poverty or in high-crime urban neighborhoods, and are exposed to violence at home and in their neighborhoods, have a higher risk of engaging in delinquent behaviors. Many poor urban communities often lack adequate schools, which can lead to poor academic performance and students disconnecting from
Usually, some of the teenagers do not appreciate their life and the freedom that they have; They think that because they are young, will never lose their benefits or their liberty. Teens are not fully aware of the consequences of their actions because always people try to protect them from the reality, from the real world. Today most of the teenager are losing the respect to the authority, and to the law because they are not more afraid to the consequences that can bring a crime. Many people believe that give to teens an adult punishments is to cruel because they are not old enough to take all the responsibility for their crimes, but the reality is that if they are capable to commit a crime they have to be responsible for the consequences.
When a person is directly impacted by a crime, the repercussions and reverberations that it can have on their own life are overwhelming. In many cases, the aftermath of a criminal offense can be more debilitating than the crime itself. The prevailing notion that has existed in society for ages is that locking the offender away is the best way to alleviate the harm caused and achieve justice. On the surface, this seems like an ideal reaction to crime; the wrongdoer is locked away so they are no longer a threat to society, and this is should, in principle, satisfy the victim’s desire for vengeance. In reality, however, this premise neglects so many essential pieces of the puzzle. One of these forgotten pieces, and a very notable one at that,
If women in the family are held to more social control, and men hold more social power, these practices are further replicated, allowing boys more freedom, and forcing more rigid boundaries and control over girls. More freedom provided to male youth could explain why the rate of total crime for male youths is higher than female youths, as the opportunity for delinquency is much higher for males than females. However, the egalitarian families who raise their children with equal levels of supervision could explain why female youth delinquency (total crime rate) still exists, although at significantly lower rate than that of male youths. The same concept applies for the differences between adult male and female total rates of crime, which are similar to the rate differences between male and female youths.
Children who grow up in deprives communities are in a much higher danger of dropping out of school, use drugs, and engage in criminal activity, (Moffit, 2005; Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). Studies also have found that parents with limited income resources are more likely to neglect and abuse children (Cancian, Slack, & Yang, 2010); in turn children who are neglected and abused are more likely to engage in antisocial behaviors (Moffit, 2005; Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). Children of parents who have an uninvolved style are often relatively high in aggression, than children whose parents are authoritative (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010). Children and adolescents who do not developed healthy attachment with their parents and caregivers are also at higher risk of engaging in the aforementioned disorderly and criminal behaviors. Lack of parental concern or warmth often results in the lack of control by the child (Bower & Atkins,
Families serve as one of the strongest socializing forces in a person's life. They help teach children to control unacceptable behavior, to delay gratification, and to respect the rights of others. Conversely, families can also teach children aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior. In adults' lives, family responsibilities may provide an important stabilizing force. Given these possibilities, family life may directly contribute to the development of delinquent and criminal tendencies. Parental conflict and child abuse correlate with delinquency. Though not all children who grow up in conflictive or violent homes become delinquent, however, being exposed to conflict and violence appears to increase the risk of delinquency. At this point, researchers have not pin pointed what factors exactly push some at-risk youth into delinquency. A child with criminal parents faces a greater likelihood of becoming a delinquent than children with law-abiding parents. However, the influence appears not to be directly related to criminality but possibly to poor supervision.
...why youth engage in criminal activity Research suggests delinquent peers are a proximate cause than family/parental; family/parental may only be a slight cause of involvement in crime. Some research suggests that criminal propensities can be inherited through genes. Unfortunately, the media portrayals of crime aren’t a true representative of the actual crime trends, or accurately reflecting the level of crime perpetrated by youth. There are many different variables that could cause youth to engage in criminal activity, some of these major variables have been discussed throughout this essay.
With more parents working today, one perception is that children are being forced to grow up too quickly, which could be why crime among the youth is growing each day. In the past it was thought that, “If parents raise their children properly, they will be law abiding citizens. In contrast, if a child does not behave appropriately, it must be the parents’ fault” (Nakaya 49), however this may not be the case. While there is not one single cause for juvenile delinquency, Graham believes that bad parenting falls somewhere on the list (1719). So the question arises, is it the child’s fault for the crime he or she committed or should the blame lay upon the parent, who if was present in the child’s life and instilling proper discipline, might prevent the crimes from happening at all. This is a somewhat complex question because in order to place blame or punishment on either the child or the parent several factors must be determined first, such as: what type of home life does the child have? Are the parents reliable role models for their child? Do the parents take every necessary action to ensure that their child knows right from wrong and is aware of consequences that may follow bad behavior? How much time does the child spend unattended and during those times are there options for the child to keep them away from unwanted situations? Does the child have any underlying mental or learning disabilities? What types of relationships does the child have at school? After all these initial factors are investigated and if the parent is shown to be doing everything possible to keep their child from doing wrong but the child still does so, would the blame lie with the child offender or with the parent?
There is no one certain theory, regarding juvenile delinquency, that can completely distinguish all the determining factors that makes youth turn to crime; although, the study of all these theories and ideas can bring criminologist one step closer to uncovering the truth about juvenile delinquency. Only the further understanding of juvenile delinquency can help the prevention of future juvenile offenders. This paper will focus on the individual factors of delinquency, as well as the social elements, and provide an explanation of how the combination of the two elements may cause children to engage in criminal activity.