Juvenile Delinquency Persuasive Essay Example

to divorce and more women working has resulted in reduced interaction, structure, and supervision. In addition, there is a lack of alternative programs for unsupervised children as institutions have not kept up with this demand. Furthermore, single parent and step-parent families introduce new parenting expectations, making the home environment for children confusing, inconsistent, and unreliable.

There is frequent confusion regarding the roles of parents and their level of control over teenagers. Conflict between parents and teens usually becomes more intense during adolescence, as teenagers try to establish their own identity separate from their parents' identity. Experts generally recognize three parenting styles that lead to these conflicts.

The authoritarian parent is focused on enforcing rules and imposing severe consequences. They allow little room for discussion or negotiation. On the other hand, the indulgent parent indulges their child and places minimal to no responsibility on them at home. They take care of cleaning up after the child's both at home and in their social misbehavior.

The neglectful parent is too wrapped up in their own life and activities to dedicate sufficient time and effort towards being involved or providing proper structure.

The effective parenting style is called authoritative parenting. It involves parents establishing themselves as authority figures in their child's life, while also offering reasonable and adaptable rules and structure to aid the child's growth into adolescence and young adulthood. Intelligent explanations for the rules, along with fair enforcement, enable a gradual decrease in control as the child ages.

Extensive research has been carried out on family relationships to understand the roots of juvenile delinquency. A comparison between delinquent and non-delinquent juveniles showed that over 90% of the delinquents expressed discontent with

their living situations and overall circumstances. In contrast, only 13% of non-delinquent youths reported experiencing similar dissatisfaction. The study also revealed that engaging in delinquent behavior provided these young individuals with recognition from peers involved in such activities or served as a coping mechanism for dealing with the challenges arising from an unhappy home life.

According to research conducted by the National Institute of Justice, young individuals raised in neglectful homes, single parent households, or homes affected by substance abuse are more likely to be charged as juveniles for crimes or status offenses. The study shows that these children have a 53 percent increased likelihood of being arrested and a 38 percent higher probability of engaging in violent behavior. Between 1976 and 1996, there was a simultaneous increase of 42 percent in both the number of juveniles living in poverty and the occurrence of juvenile crimes.

Experts in juvenile delinquency have recognized the crucial influence of the family on delinquency. They have discovered that dysfunctional families and insufficient parental supervision and socialization greatly affect a child's chances of participating in delinquent behavior. Unfortunately, society has recently started to act upon these findings, leading to limited attention and research funding on the impacts of family factors. Studies indicate that the family environment can either protect children from future delinquency or make them more vulnerable to it.

According to a study conducted by Stouthamer-Loeber, families can have a negative impact on a child's development based on their functioning level. In approximately 300 research study cases, longitudinal studies revealed that socialization factors such as lack of supervision, parental rejection of the child, child rejection of the parent, and lack of parent/child

involvement were the strongest indicators of delinquency. Parental dysfunction, including criminality, substance abuse, and poor marital relations, were moderate predictors, while parental health and actual absence of a parent were weak predictors. In concurrent comparative studies, the strongest correlation with problem behaviors in children was the child's rejection of the parents and the parental rejection of the child. Comparative studies also emphasized the importance of effective parental discipline more than longitudinal studies. These risk factors seemed to have the same overall effect on both boys and girls.

In 1997, Wright and Wright conducted a study that identified four factors explaining the association between delinquency and single parent families. These factors include economic deprivation, reduced supervision, formal controls, social supports, living in poverty neighborhoods characterized by high crime rates and alienation. The absence of fathers worsens these factors and results in a stronger response from the criminal justice system towards children from single parent families.

It is important to note that children from both single parent families and complex, shifting, and highly stressed families suffer from similar conditions. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan emphasized that poverty has become an issue for children because a larger proportion of them are growing up in mother-only families for extended periods, many of which are also impoverished.

In 1996, the Department of Health and Human Services conducted a study which found that children living with never-married mothers were more likely to face expulsion or suspension from school, display emotional problems, and engage in antisocial behavior compared to their counterparts in two-parent families.Furthermore, the findings of this study suggest that there is an elevated risk associated with having a teenage African American single mother as

the head of the family. Irrespective of their racial background, children born to young African American single mothers typically exhibit diminished impulse control, reduced tolerance for frustration, heightened levels of hyperactivity, and encounter difficulties in adapting to school settings. Additionally, male offspring from this particular demographic frequently demonstrate increased hostility, assertiveness, and obstinacy. It is important to note that these impacts are observed in both African American and Caucasian mothers.

The breakdown of families can be influenced by various factors. One factor is the increasing number of children placed in foster care because their single mothers are unable to provide for them. Another factor is children born addicted to crack and taken away from their mothers. Additionally, children born with HIV require more care than their mothers can provide, and there are also children who become homeless due to different conditions. All these circumstances put these children at a higher risk of delinquency.

Currently, approximately 500,000 children in foster care relocate an average of three times annually. It is not surprising that 44 percent of these foster children are expected to engage in delinquent behavior before reaching the age of eighteen.

Both young and older children deserve strong family values and morals. They have the right to parents who genuinely show interest in their schoolwork and extracurricular activities. Furthermore, they have the right for both parents to actively engage in every aspect of their lives, including having civil conversations at the dinner table and asking about their day.Moreover, it is important to treat children with respect and dignity instead of allowing them to become victims of their own parents. Additionally, children have the right to gain respect for

others, authority, and themselves through education. Effective parenting plays a crucial role in fulfilling the rights of children, and parents who take responsibility for their children's upbringing are vital in this process. The breakdown of families is a major cause of juvenile delinquency that needs to be acknowledged and addressed. By fulfilling their parental responsibilities, parents can help protect their children from other factors that contribute to delinquency such as exposure to violent media content or harmful relationships with peers. They can also educate them about the negative consequences of substance abuse, ensure they do not have access to firearms, create a stable and non-violent home environment, use consistent discipline methods based on love, and instill core values like respect for others, authority figures, and self-worth.

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