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Juvenile Criminal Behavior Essay

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Juvenile criminal behavior is nothing new in America. Juveniles are beginning to be involved in more violent crimes across the country now than ever. When we think about juveniles committing crimes we often automatically think of small petty crimes. However, we are now seeing juveniles engaged in dangerous violent crimes across our country. The question is what causes juvenile criminal behavior? As a law enforcement officer, I have seen a large uprise in juvenile criminal activity. To better understand the reason for this I have decided to study the cause of juvenile criminal behavior
There can be many causes for juvenile criminal behavior including parenting, geographical location, peers, trauma, etc. We will start with parenting. A juvenile …show more content…

“Trauma experienced during childhood may result in profound and long-lasting negative effects that extend well into adulthood. The direct effects may be psychological, behavioral, social, and even biological. These effects are associated with longer-term consequences, including risk for further victimization, delinquency and adult criminality, substance abuse, poor school performance, depression, and chronic disease” (Wyrick, 2021). Childhood trauma can cause a juvenile to seek interest in crime and rebellion. This comes from the feeling that the world has rejected them and they are enraged by the event. They then release stress and built-up tension by engaging in juvenile criminal activity or delinquency. Childhood trauma can stay with a person throughout the remainder of their childhood and into adult life. This causes many issues for the victim. Depending on what kind of trauma they experienced they may be driven to place that same trauma onto someone else. This becomes a psychological problem and when it is not properly treated it can drive a person into a life of lawlessness. “Research shows around 61 percent of the general population has had at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE), a potentially traumatic event that occurs to people younger than 17, and that number is closer to 97 percent for people in prison” (Nembhard and Lima, 2022). This shows that most people in prison have experienced some sort of childhood trauma. With a proven record of childhood trauma being linked to people who have engaged in criminal activity, it is safe to say that it can and has caused juveniles to engage in

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The violent crime rate among juveniles has grown at twice the rate compared to adults in the last two decades (Levitt, 1998). This fact shows that juveniles are constantly being given a slap on the wrist for the crimes adults get sent away for and the violent crime rate would not be inclining at the rate it is if they were processed as adults. Juveniles being processed as adults would decrease the rate due to the deterrence effect. There has been a rise in juvenile arrest rates for violent crimes due to the change in law and policies for juveniles that are less harsh when compared to adults (National Research Council, 2001). Juveniles know that the punishment they will receive for a crime is not harsh which leads them to commit more violent crimes.

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Chapter 1 Definition, Measurements and Process introduces the history of the juvenile justice system and discusses the issues surrounding the transitioning of a child to an adult. The chapter also covers challenges the juvenile system faces, how delinquency and crime are measured based on the Uniform Crime Reports, self-report studies, and victimization surveys. The measure of youths as delinquents and victims is also discussed, as is a typology of juvenile delinquents. In 1899, the first juvenile court was established. Its establishment was solely based on the principle that children develop differently than adults so they therefore need to be treated differently.

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Retrieved May 31, 2015, from Abandunadong Kahoy Website: https://imaginaryblogger.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/juvenile-delinquency-its-effects-and-how-to-solve-it/ (2014, May). Retrieved May 31, 2015, from Wikipedia Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syndicate Bridges, K. B. (1926-1927). Factors Contributing Juvenile Delinquency. 17, 531. Farrington, D. P. (n.d.).

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