Juvenile Delinquency

Every day child abuse and neglect takes it's toll on innocent young lives. Nearly five children die everyday in America from their abuse. ("National children," 2011) Not only does child abuse leave it's victims with physical and emotional scars, but it also cripples their chances of leading normal happy lives. Many of these children tend to lean towards unhealthy social behavior as a way to cope with their abuse, which in turn may make them a juvenile delinquent.
Child abuse is not a recent development. It has existed for thousands of years. However parents and society from thousands of years ago saw no problem with the way their children and other people's children were being disciplined. In fact children in that time had little to no rights and were mostly considered a nuisance and unimportant. Luckily for children today that opinion has changed. Unfortunately there are still thousands of children out there who are considered a nuisance and unimportant to their parent or guardian. Although physical abuse is the most critical, there are other types that can be just as damaging and leave their own set of scars. Other forms of abuse include emotional abuse, neglect, and sexual abuse. It's hard to say whether one form is more damaging than another. All forms of abuse can cause a child to have difficulties later on in life. Some of these difficulties may include damage to a child's sense of self, their ability to maintain healthy relationships, and their ability to function at home, school and work. (Smith, 2012) Physical abuse can sometimes be easier to spot than neglect or say sexual abuse. Neglect, like physical abuse is a very common form. Neglect can happen when a parent or guardian fails to provide the child with basic necessities such as food, shelter, clothing, and medical attention. Sexual abuse may be the most difficult form of abuse to detect. This is because of the shame, embarrassment, and guilt that a child may be feeling. These feelings make children hesitant to come forward with their abuse. This is the case especially with boys. Most often children are sexually abused by someone they know. This could be a parent, a relative, a neighbor, or even a mentor.
It is no wonder that after suffering through any one of these forms of abuse that children stray off the beaten path and many find themselves to be a juvenile delinquent. There are about 73.9 million Americans under the age of eighteen which means that one in four Americans could possibly become a juvenile delinquent. ("National institute of," 2011) It is believed that children who are abused and neglected start to experiment with crime at an early age. Children who are abused have a lot of anger, confusion, and depression. They feel abandoned, unloved, and not worth attention. Many of these children turn to crime as a coping mechanism. A child who is full of internal anger will eventually lash out and this will most likely be in the form of physical violence. A child who is neglected will be left with feelings of depression and low self esteem. These feelings can lead to the use of alcohol and or drug use to numb oneself. There are many types of crime committed by juvenile delinquents. Some of these crimes are vandalism, loitering, fighting, bullying, underage drinking and smoking, possession of marijuana, and even robbery. Each child will have his or her own reason for committing such crimes. Some may do it because it gives them the attention that they've been denied, while others do it because it gives them a sense of self worth, gives them higher self esteem knowing they committed a crime and now they can consider themselves a bad boy. No matter the reasoning, it is extremely likely that a juvenile will commit multiple criminal offenses in their lifetime.
Although the future for abused and neglected children looks bleak, there is still hope that some can lead a happy productive life. This hope comes in the form of caring individuals and organizations that aim to help these victims and stop child abuse and neglect. These organizations work with children of abuse and offer a safe haven to some, the chance to speak out for others, and a number of different programs to aid a child in their recovery. There may never be a definite end to child abuse and neglect but there are ways to prevent these children from losing their lives or becoming a juvenile delinquent. One way to possibly prevent children of abuse from becoming delinquents is to offer parenting education classes to parents who feel overwhelmed with life and tend to take their aggression out on their children. These education classes could teach parents different ways of coping with their stress or anger instead of resorting to physical violence. These classes could provide counseling for parents and the children and they could work together to prevent abuse from happening. Another remedy to prevent children from becoming a delinquent because of the abuse they've suffered is to open rehab centers where children can come together to share their stories with others in the same situations and help them to realize that they are other ways of dealing with their feelings other than resorting to crime. These rehab centers would teach children that they can heal, and that they can help others heal by becoming mentors. One of the most important ways to prevent children from becoming possible delinquents is to find more ways for children to speak about their abuse and not be afraid of the consequences. There could be more child abuse hotlines where children can call and notify someone of their abuse and have immediate action taken instead of waiting for investigations that may end up being dismissed. There could be more education classes offered to teachers that show them how to spot abuse and neglect and how to go about reporting the signs. There could also be random body screenings at schools that check for bruises and wounds that are most often covered by clothing. Preventing and treating child abuse before it becomes too late and the child has lost hope is an important part of defeating juvenile delinquency.
\Although there is a strong link between child abuse and juvenile delinquency it is possible that with more public awareness and solutions for parents and children, child abuse does not have to lead a child into a life of crime.

References
Child Welfare Information Gateway (2008). Retrieved from website: https://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/factsheets/long_term_consequences.cfm
National children. (2011, December 22). Retrieved from http://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/NCANationalStatistics
National institute of justice. (2011, March 14). Retrieved from http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/child-abuse/impact-on-arrest-victimization.htm
Siegel, L. J. & Welsh, B. C. (2011). Juvenile delinquency: The core (4th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage Learning/Wadsworth.
Smith, M. (2012, July 7). Helpguide.org. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_emotional_sexual_neglect.htm