Juvenile Delinquency in America

Growing up in America comes with the opportunity to become anything conceivable to the imagination. The youth of this nation has become the topic of many discussions concerning their direction and ultimate demise when ending up inside the court system. Juvenile delinquency has proven to be an issue of much concern in America. The court system is not very well equipped to handle passing down judgment on children because to be honest, the system was not built to do so. The absence of adequate schools, disconnected communities, positive family-home reinforcement, and sufficient preparation to become viable adults links the precursor for problem behavior with adolescent delinquency; which will more than likely develop into serious adult criminology.

Transitioning from being a child to an adult brings challenges that some handle well and others have considerable trouble with. The amount of child delinquents between the ages of 7 and 12 inside the system has jumped 33 percent within a ten year period. This information raises red flags and sets of alarms inside the juvenile system because younger offenders of serious crimes are more likely to repeat their offenses. The likelihood of a child delinquent between the ages of 7 and 12 to become a serious offender is two to three times higher than delinquents in their teens (Flores, Child Delinquency, 2003). Studies addressing school influences on antisocial behavior have consistently shown that poor academic performance is directly correlated with child behavior issues and to the onset of serious delinquency (Brewer et al., 1995; Maguin and Loeber, 1996). The increase in school shootings and violence by kids inside their own places of learning shows the validity of the studies. Schools are looking for a more positive way to enforce discipline. Suspension and expulsion are proving to be a far less effective way of invoking discipline for juveniles. The time away from schools results in kids having more free time on their hands with nothing constructive or educational to do. This causes the juveniles involve themselves in criminal activities that usually begin petty, but after time the offenses increase in magnitude. Schools with very little teacher cooperation and poor teacher satisfaction ratings are linked to antisocial behavior in kids. The community plays a very important role in the development of juveniles as well. Poverty levels inside the community cause the development of antisocial behavior.