Running Head: JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
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Juvenile Delinquency
Gretta Simmons
Liberty University
CJUS 230-B07
Professor Ryan Zuidema
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Juvenile Delinquency
Abstract
This paper reviews Juvenile Delinquency due to the broken homes theory. It will
describe what the broken home theory is and how it effects juveniles. The topics show family
structure plays a big role in juveniles committing crimes. It is an ongoing problem in the United
States and researchers look into the problem of juvenile delinquency and come to the conclusion
that a lot of juveniles come from broken homes. By exploring this problem across the world it
will give a better understanding of juvenile delinquency and the broken theory and show that the
juvenile’s family background is a major role played to their behavior. It will also show that most
of the times other methods do not work and the juveniles will end up back in trouble and never
learn their lessons that crime does not pay. This paper will also give information on juveniles
going in front of the judge and a lot of times the Judge will decide to place to delinquent juvenile
with a family member or even foster care. Other family members can provide stability and
discipline and can be a great start to rehabilitating their lives.
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Juvenile delinquency is becoming very prevalent in today’s society and juveniles who
show delinquent behavior of any form usually belong to broken families or broken homes such
as single parent families, frequent parents fighting, lack of trust and confidence among parents,
and criminal parents, all in which will cause juveniles to commit crimes. A reform method that
is known in juvenile court is the judge of the juvenile justice system placing the juvenile with
someone other than a parent with a stable environment due to a history of a broken family and
giving that juvenile a chance instead of spending time in jail or a detention center.
Juvenile delinquency is something that is increasingly becoming a problem across the
United States. In the past few decades, the government has been challenged with different ways
to address the rapidly growing problem of Juvenile Delinquency. “Juvenile delinquency rates
rose substantially in nearly all categories throughout the 1980’s and early 1900’s” (Hinton,
Grames, & Adams, 2013). Juvenile delinquency can be a very touchy subject when crimes are
committed by individuals under the age of 18. Researchers begin to look back at reasons to why
juveniles may be delinquent and also look at the juvenile’s family history. It can be shown that a
lot of juveniles come from broken homes. “Around 2.5 million juveniles are arrested every year
for various crimes in America, of which around 100,000 are violent crimes; however, it is
estimated that this issue may be much larger than arrests show, because only about half of all
crimes involving juveniles are even reported” (Juvenile Justice Basic Statistics, 2011).
The broken home theory has been used throughout history in American society to explain
why juveniles are delinquent. Many people may wonder what a broken home is. A broken home
is defined as any home in which one or both parents have been removed by death, divorce,
separation, missing due to incarceration or if both parents are present, the parents are having
issues amongst themselves that cause strain and fighting in their family. “Family background,
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finances, mental or physical disabilities and moral and social training all come into play when it
comes to teens becoming juvenile delinquency” (NoBullying, 2015, para. 4). Broken homes are
known to cause juvenile delinquency. It can lead juveniles to experiment with drugs, fighting
others, and other known crimes. In Proverbs 22:6 it says to “Train up a child in the way he
should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it” (NKJV, 1992). The lack of education
can also lead to juvenile delinquency and with those type of problems comes crime, and with
crime comes the juvenile getting arrested and having to stand in front of a judge in the juvenile
justice system and the judge determining their punishment. The intake officer or lawyer of the
juvenile will look into the juveniles past to see if the juvenile has had any other prior convictions
or has been in any trouble in the past and also look into the juvenile’s family/living environment
to see if they have a broken family. Most of the time a majority of juveniles have come from
broken families, whether it be a single parent home, the parents constantly fighting in front of the
juvenile, the lack of trust and confidence between the parents, or the parents being in trouble
with the law themselves and committing crimes, then the choice will be made up to the lawyer,
intake officer, and judge to try placing the juvenile in the care of someone else other than the
parents to see if that may help the juvenile to not commit any more crimes and get any
counseling that the juvenile may need. Then if that does not work other punishments will be
chosen. In 1 John 3:4 it says “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is
lawlessness” (NKJV, 1992).
Juveniles are committing crimes and the Judges in the juvenile court system are left to
decide what kind of rehabilitation or punishment he or she wants to give the juvenile. Probation,
house arrest, community service, and other known punishments for the juvenile committing
whatever crime he or she has committed is helping a percentage of juveniles but then after the
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juvenile has finished their punishment the juvenile eventually gets in trouble again, committing
crimes. “Many receive probation, do not learn their lesson, often offend again, and eventually go
to prison” (Gleissner, 2011, para. 10). Placing a juvenile in any facility has been known to
become a problem because the facilities become overcrowded. Overcrowding contributes to
other problems such as the lack of individualized services and counseling/rehabilitation which
then will increase the risk of more violent behavior from the juvenile. “Juvenile corrections
facilities are both poorly positioned and ill-equipped to provide effective treatment for youth
with severe mental health conditions, learning disabilities, out-of-control substance abuse habits,
and other acute needs” (Mendel, 2011 p. 22). Sometimes when a juvenile is delinquent and
commit crimes and has to go in front a judge, the judge may decide to place the juvenile with a
relative or in a foster home if the juvenile has problems at home that are linked to their home
environment. Programs that are most often used in the early stages of juvenile delinquent
behavior are foster homes or removing the delinquent youth from a home environment that is
regarded as to contributing to the juvenile’s behavior. It has been known that a juvenile who
comes from a broken home can do better in an environment that will provide stability and
discipline and can provide the juvenile with the appropriate treatment that he or she may need.
Studies have shown that family structure is an important factor in juvenile delinquency. “Three
out of ten children grow up in broken homes and children from broken homes account for: 70
percent of those in juvenile detention, 57 percent of all prison inmates, 63 percent of teen
suicides, 71 percent of teen pregnancies, 90 percent of homeless juveniles and runaways, 71
percent of high school dropouts, 75 percent of all drug users, and 85 percent of behavioral
disorders” (Allen & Jett, 2013). So with juveniles having that chance that the judge gives them
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from being brought up in a broken home is a great start at rehabilitating their lives and hopefully
leading them to not commit any future crimes.
Conclusion
Juvenile Delinquency is well known all over the world and is shown that family
structure and family broken homes will cause juvenile delinquency. Researchers all over the
world have looked into the reasons behind juvenile delinquency and try to find ways to help
juveniles stop committing crimes. The broke home theory-Single parent families, parents
frequently fighting, lack of trust and confidence among parents are all examples of broken homes
and is one reason a juvenile will commit crimes because they see things in a different light of
life. Intake officers and Judges will look into the juvenile’s family/living environment and if the
juvenile has any prior convictions or has been in trouble in the past and they will decide what
punishment they should get. If it proven that the juvenile has a broken home or broken family a
lot of times the juvenile will be placed in foster care or another family members home with two
parents and a stable home/environment. When we see or hear of juveniles committing crimes
most of the time the juvenile is looked down upon because what they did is wrong and they need
to be punished severely, but really it comes from their background and how they were brought up
and their family situation they were brought up in. So giving the juvenile that second chance is
better than just throwing them in jail or in a detention center that most likely will not help them
and nine times out of ten when the juvenile is released they will commit again.
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References
Allen, G., Jett, J. S. (2013, January, 30). Stats of effects in broken homes. Richmond Times
Dispatch. www.Richmond.com
Gleissner, J. D. (2011). Some Reasons Why Incarceration Does Not Work Very Well. Retrieved
from www.corections.com/articles/27870-some-reasons-why-incarceration-does-not-
work-well
Hinton, J. W., Grames, H. A., & Adams, M. A., (2013). Juvenile Delinquency-Cultural Sociology
of Divorce. Sage Publications, Inc.
Juvenile Justice Basic Statistics. (2011). Frontline PBS. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org
Mendel, R. A. (2011). No Place For Kids: The Case for reducing Juvenile Incarceration. The
Annie E. Casey Foundation. Baltimore Maryland. www.aecf.org/noplaceforkids
NoBullying. (2015, December, 22). The Why and How of Juvenile Delinquency. Retrieved from
http://nobullying.com/juvenile-delinquency
