Connection of Substance Abuse with Juvenile Delinquency in Colleges

Connection of Substance Abuse with Juvenile Delinquency in Colleges

Abstract

In this generation, temptation among youth is higher than ever. It is easy for kids to fall into this trap due to easy access around them. The number of youth involved in juvenile crime in the past years has increased immensely. The purpose of this research paper is to figure out the main causes of why the number has skyrocketed so high. I will search for the most reliable sources, and use human sources as well. Juvenile delinquency is something that most people only see the surface of. They see kids that make bad choices. Most people do not take the time to fully understand the reason behind why they may be doing what they are doing. My role in writing this is to figure out these reasons, and share them with those who do not understand. My goal in this paper is to help people to become educated before they judge these kids. I believe there are major causes that influence youth to commit crimes, and they should be taken into consideration.

Growing Years

Kids are known to be rebellious and adventurous, especially between the ages of ten and eighteen. This is basically the commonly known “teenage years” when kids want to find their purpose in the world and are more driven to fight against conforming to what society tells them to do. These are the most influential years in a human’s life. This is when kids really begin to learn about everything that comes with “growing up.” This is when the outside influences have the biggest effect on a child. These influences include celebrities they see through television and social media, teachers and other people in authority such as bosses or managers at a job, and mostly the people around them such as friends and family, especially their parents. These people all influence that kid’s behavior. Most of the time, the influence will benefit the kid. For example, parents and teachers helping a child figure out the things they are good at and enjoy doing to help them start looking at career paths and colleges to apply for. Or maybe it is coaches and teammates driving the kid to be the best athlete he can be. These are all the factors that would normally lead to a successful human being in the future. However, things do not always go as planned, and sometimes the influences surrounding a child are not so good. When a child is exposed to bad actions such as negative behavior, abuse, peer pressure, negligence, or a broken home, they are automatically going to have a harder time becoming a successful functioning citizen. They lose the factor of positive reinforcement and support, which is pretty crucial to becoming a successful human. Even though many kids are able to overcome the negative influences and get themselves on the right path from the help of another source, most of them are not able to do so. These are the at-risk youth that are more than likely on the road leading to future criminal activity. Outside influences have the strongest effect on a child, and family is the most affective factor.

First of Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency made its appearance most noticeably during the progressive area, in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This was mainly caused by the changes in social conditions, immigration, and urbanization (...). Kids spent time wandering in the streets, which usually resulted in criminal activity. At first, kids were locked up with grown adults when they were being held. This had to change due to the negative actions and influences, however kids that committed certain crimes are sometimes put in adult courts. The new houses of refuge and reformatories were made specifically for at-risk youth. These places would work with the kids to teach them the physical and social skills that they lacked due to their previous environment.