Cause Of Juvenile Crime

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Juvenile delinquency also known as “juvenile offending” refers to illegal antisocial behavior displayed by minors (Siegel, Larry J.; Welsh, Brandon (2011). Juveniles despite their age are capable of committing serious crimes. The causes of juvenile delinquency are numerous and debatable. In recent years, there have been a higher proportion of youth that have experienced arrests by their early 20’s than in the year 1986 (Farrington, D.P. (2012). Youth binge drinking rates within the United States have dropped to approximately 13% of peak rates in 1996 to a 4% in 2008, according to official US Government Statistics. The society and law enforcing bodies understand that the responsibility of juvenile crimes cannot be pegged entirely on the juveniles.…show more content…
One of the main causes of Juvenile Delinquency is Teenage Pregnancy. An astonishing number of teenagers become pregnant each year. In 2014, the World Health Organisation reported that about sixteen million girls aged 15 to 19 years and approximately one million girls less than 15 years old give birth each year, majority of which are from low and middle income countries. According to TeenHelp.com, the United States has the highest yearly rate of teenage pregnancy with 820,000 teens becoming pregnant each year. It is also noted by About.com, that eighty two percent (82%) of them are actually unintended pregnancies. There are a number of factors that contribute to pregnancy in teens. Livestrong.com lists some of the causes for teenage pregnancy as being; peer pressure, lack of proper sex education, substance abuse, mainly alcohol, the movie industry, the media’s glamorization of pregnancy, sexual abuse or rape and lack of parental supervision. It should also be noted that because of the young age that these teenage girls become pregnant, there may be certain issues that negatively affect their lives. The issues that…show more content…
As reported by GoodTherapy.org, substance abuse is considered a non-adaptive and not considered dependent but can however, lead to dependency with certain drugs. There are a colossal range of drugs such alcohol, cocaine, amphetamines, benzodiazepines and opiates. Some of these drugs are deemed illegal in majority of countries and can lead to prosecution if caught in possession of them. The high rate of illicit drug use among youth has been steadily increasing, according to the Monitoring the Future study, which has measured the use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs by the Nation's youth since 1975. Drug use among 12th graders peaked in 1997, with slightly more than 75 percent of seniors having reported past use of an illicit drug. This figure dropped to a low of 82.60 percent by 2008 (Monitoring the Future Study, University of Michigan, 2008). Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) data, which do not include information on alcohol use by juveniles, showed in 2014 that the illicit drug most frequently used by delinquent youth was marijuana (National Institute of Justice, 2013). Persistent substance abuse among youth is often accompanied by an array of problems, including academic difficulties, health-related consequences, poor peer relationships, mental health issues, and involvement with the juvenile justice system. There are also significant consequences for family members,

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