Abuse and Crime

Crime, arrest, juvenile correction center, these are all things a parent does not want to hear. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2006 there were 885,245 children that were victims of abuse and there were over 2,000,000 cases of delinquency crimes. There is an undeniable correlation between child abuse and juvenile delinquency. In other words, juveniles that come from an unstable and are maltreated environment are more likely to partake in criminal behavior.

Child maltreatment is a growing problem for our society. Child maltreatment in a nutshell is any form of child abuse this can be physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, parental substance abuse and abandonment. (child) CBS news reported that since this economical recession, and with the funding for prevention drying up, child abuse is only foreseen to get worse. This abuse is a shown to be a key factor in juvenile crime. “Child Maltreatment (e.g. physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect) that occurs at some point prior to age 18 is a risk factor for delinquency” (Thornberry). Child maltreatment is show as on of the leading factors in juvenile delinquency. Although this is a proven fact, the main question is why? Why is it that children that are victims of maltreatment are more likely to offend? There are a few different ideas to explore.

Juveniles become criminals due to child maltreatment. According to the study “Does child abuse cause crime?” Janet Currie states one theory behind this is the social learning theory. This theory is said that an individual will learn criminal behavior from other parties and in turn mimics them. If the child see’s delinquent behavior and they see that this behavior is rewarding, and then they will mimic these delinquent behaviors. This behavior can be the abuse of control over others and the gaining of material items or power, from this control. An example of this is why a child is being physically abused, they may in response abuse another them self. When a child is abused, they become powerless against their attacker. But when the child abuses they get back the sense of power and control was lost then their abuser. By gaining this back, they get a satisfied feeling from this behavior, and this causes them to keep abusing.

Juveniles that are maltreated use other forms behavior to deal with this abuse. Most turn to what is called risky behavior, or behavior that has a high risk of cause the individual harm. This risky behavior roots them into delinquency. “childhood experiences [child mal] increases the risk for depressed affect, suicide attempts, multiple sexual partners, sexually transmitted diseases, smoking, and alcoholism” (Currie). These behaviors acts as an escape from the maltreatment that comes with there home life. But at the same time, these behaviors are illegal, and can cause them harm. This is just one more reason why maltreatment and juvenile delinquency go hand and hand.

There is no way around it; child maltreatment is a cause for concern. Not only is the act it self harming the child, but it causes the child to partake in delinquent behavior. In order for a child to grow properly they need the help of family and a healthy community. “Strong institutions, such as family, religion, and education, are needed to place some limits on us. But the failure of these institutions can be seen in out high crime rates” (Shelden). Unfortunately this delinquent behavior continues long into adulthood. If we as a community do nothing about this growing problem, juvenile delinquency will continue to grow, and along with seeing a rise in criminal activities, we will see a decline in society moral.

Resources
CBS News. “Child Abuse Spikes During Recession” www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/05/20/business/childofrecession/main5029133.shtml
Child Welfare Information Gateway. http://www.childwelfare.gov/
Currie,Janet, Tekin,Erdal.”Does child abuse cause crime?”Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. Georgia State University. 2006
Shelden,Randall. Tracy,Sharon.Brown,William. Youth Gangs in American Society. Thomson Wadsworth. United States. 2004
Thornberry,Terence. Huizinga,David.Loeber Rolf. “The Cause and Correlates Studies: Findings and Policy Implication” www.ncjrs.gov/html/ojjdp/203555/jj2.html
U.S. Census Bureau. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/09s0328.pdf