Juvenile Justice Final 03 28 The Family and Delinquency Introduction o Nixzmary Brown Mom and step dad killed her Many children face abuse at home and abuse is a real predictor of delinquency o the breakdown of the nuclear family Mom dad and children Before there was the extended family which encompassed grandparents aunts and uncles Divorce incarceration and fulltime work schedule o the family s influence on youth behavior The Changing American Family o How has the traditional family changed since the 1970 s More than 75 of women have jobs now 1 Family Makeup Roughly 70 of all kids live with their two parents By age 16 a lot of them experience parental separation or divorce 40 of whites and 75 of blacks have experienced divorce 2 Child Care 3 Economic Success Most families put their kids at a very young age in daycare Often time s children are put in family daycare homes These are informal generally unlicensed 90 of them are black market with like 6 9 kids 25 of the kids lived in poverty 8 of kids live in extreme poverty that s 50 below the poverty line The Families Influence o The family is the primary source and parents are the key agents of socialization o Four categories of family dysfunction seem to promote delinquent behavior 1 Family Breakup Parents are informal agents of social control What matters most after divorce is the quality of the divorce itself and the nature of the care you receive afterwards Kids raised in a household away from their father are more likely to 1 Drop out of school 2 Less likely to hold down a steady job 3 If they are a girl they are more likely to get pregnant as a teenager 4 More likely to get arrested Not having a father effects a boy more 2 Family Conflict 3 Family Competence A lot of evidence that this will lead to delinquency Studies have shown that kids who have experienced a divorce have a harder time at adapting than kids who lost a parent Bad parents produce bad kids Parental effectiveness is a big deal in determining whether the kids will be good or not Boren s Theory of Parenting 1 Authoritarian 2 Authoritative Parenting that is demanding Parenting that is demanding and responsive This produces the best behaved kids Key Aspects of Authoritative How attached and involved are the parents Encourage the child to make his or her own opinions The use of fair and consistent discipline Avoiding physical discipline The use of inductive discipline practices gives the explanation of why that s bad No because I said so The best style to produce self control with children 3 Permissive Parenting that is responsive 4 Rejecting Neglecting Parenting that is nether demanding or responsive 4 Family Deviance If your parents are criminals you may become a criminal Differential Association you may learn from them Criminal Parents are not as good as parents because 1 They may just not be there 2 More likely to be authoritarian parents 3 Genes inherit it with them 4 Environment Child Abuse and Neglect o Child abuse is any type of physical emotional or sexual trauma toward a child inflicted on a child that includes neglect around 900 000 child abuse victims a year o The most common form of child abuse is neglect o The most frequent violent offense against a child is simple assault 1 Correlate of abuse age race and social class Under the age of 5 are the most commonly abused Households that make less than 15 000 a year are more likely to abuse African American s have higher rates of child abuse than whites 2 Typical child abuser Mother 3 4 Key factors associated with child abuse Parents who were abused themselves Parents who abuse drugs or alcohol up to 40 of abuse cases involve drugs or alcohol abuse The presence of an unrelated adult in the household Isolated and alienated families that lack social support and money are more likely to have abuse Abuse Neglect and Delinquency 1 There is evidence from clinical histories cohort studies and self report that abused children are more likely to engage in delinquency and crime Up to 70 where more likely to engage in crime 50 who came to the hospital were subsequently arrested for offending 2 The abuse delinquency link how would the following theories explain the relationships Self Control poor parenting does not lead to a developed self control General Strain Theory abuse is the introduction of a negative stimulus which then creates negative emotional states Social Control Theory having an abusive parent would create a lack of attachment Social Learning Theory 03 02 Drug Use and Delinquency In general drug use is a type of delinquency not a cause for delinquency Trends in Teenage Drug Use o Has drug use among American adolescent increased or declined in recent years Decreased in most categories o Which drug is most frequently abused by American youth Alcohol followed by Marijuana o Which type of drug is getting more attention from researcher because of its relatively high usage rates among teenagers Prescription drugs such as oxycodone Girls have higher rates of prescription drug use than guys Pathways to Drug Abuse 1 Alcohol as a gateway drug 2 Physical or sexual abuse 3 Behavioral or emotional problems Especially at young ages and used with an adult it leads to drug abuse Being physically or sexually abused increases the likelihood of drug abuse Kids with behavioral problems are more likely to use drugs Behavioral problems 7x more likely Emotional problems 4x more likely 4 Dealing 80 of kids who deal cocaine use it o Does drug dealing pay 1 Conflicting research findings 1996 study 2400 2000 study 5000 2006 study 8000 Linking Drug Use to Delinquency 1 Three major types of drug related delinquency Pharmacological the actual physical effects of the drugs cause him to commit crime Ex paranoia intoxication addiction hallucinations Marijuana does not have a link to delinquency and violence With every other drug the research is mixed and there is very little evidence that they increase delinquency Alcohol is more consistently linked to delinquency and violence It s estimated that over half of all murders and all suicides involve alcohol Alcohol desensitizes people to norms and lowers inhibitions Economically Compulsive the delinquency is caused by the need to buy it Systemic delinquency associated with the fact that the drug is illegal and the illegal sell of the drug Fighting over turf Didn t pay them but can t call the cops so they take matters into their own hands Relies of informal social control can t call the