Juvenile Delinquency
It was a crime that shocked Chicago, that seemingly unshockable city - the murder of 11 year-old Ryan Harris in fall 1998, who had been bashed on the head with a rock, dragged into the bushes and sexually assaulted (Adler and Annin 28). We're used to seeing greed, jealousy and dashed hopes turn adults into murderers. But why would boys of 7 and 8 boldly murder one of their piers? How could such young hearts turn that cold? Any psychologist can recite a litany of good hints, and yet we're still not convinced. "The world has wronged me" Explains 16 year old Luke Woodham after killing two classmates and stabbing his mother to death. Which world is he referring to? Is it possible that the world we live in could possibly turn a teenager into a heartless murderer? It's clear that kids who grow up surrounded by violence - on the street, in the home, on the tube, in electronic games - become less sensitive to it (Cowley 24; Lacayo 38). Society shares the blame on such acts but is not! solely responsible; parents, media and even the nature of the person are also accomplices. Such an issue is highly sensitive, and arouses confusion, shock, shame and even pity. Is murder now a child's play? To answe
Today 28 April 1999: 18 par. USA Today. 20 May 1999. Online. Friedlander, Kate. The Psycho-Analytical Approach to Juvenile This probably explains why some people seem to survive a difficult childhood while others who are raised in the best homes show aggressive behavior. "They're genetically predisposed" (10 Manning). Life on the streets, including gang membership, is a common feature of youth's identities. It is a symbol of profound social forces at work, such as poverty and discrimination, as well as youths' needs to establish a sense of "identity" and community (Bortner 53). Bad companionship, lack of organization of leisure time, economic factors, to name only the most important items are linked with the incidence of delinquency (Friedlander 9). Many young people see delinquency as their only escape from boredom, poverty, and other problems. Not to mention the strong impact that other youngsters have on those who commit delinquency. For example, most youngsters who engage in delinquent behavior do so with other juveniles and often in organized gangs. Needless to mention the different aspects and effects that media has on a child. One example is 14-year-old Michael Carneal who coolly shot down eight of his classmates enacting the same fantasy of actor Leonardo DiCaprio in his movie "The Basketball Diaries". Most experts agree that a constant diet of mass entertainment can warp a child's sense of the world; the morale they learn is that everybody does it, then this is the way it has to be (Cowley 25). Delinquency. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul LTD, 1961. Girls are becoming increasingly involved in juvenile delinquency. Today, about one of every 5 youngsters appearing in juvenile court is a girl. In the early 1900's, this ration was about 1 girl to every 50 or 60 boys (Sickmund). Available: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/jjbulletin/jjbul_498/contents.html Why do some mischiefs grow up and lead a normal life while others turn into crime? Studies are revealing physiological differences between the brains of normal people and those of people who kill. "There is clearly a biological predisposition to violence," says psychologist Adrian Raine of the University of Southern California. He further supports his argument by numerous instances in which murderers not having the usual signs (history of child abuse, poverty, domestic violence, broken homes) still commit vio
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Approximate Word count = 1625
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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