What causes juveniles to commit crimes?

Answer 1

Lot of things. Low self esteem, drugs, alcohol, poor parenting, peer pressure, poverty, ego, don't know how to deal with feelings, sexually or physical abused, brain washed, being in a gang, to show off, think they are cool, to impress someone, forced to by someone else, mental illness, and many more that are unknown.

Answer 2

most communities have nothing for the children to do, if they hang out, they are run off by the police for loitering, education is partly to blame too, school should be like real life, year round, how many people get 3 months off for summer? there is not enough money being put into education to make it enjoyable and attention grasping, not enough individual attention, kids should be tested at a young age to see where there mind development is strongest and then catered to to help develop their minds where they are strongest, but our wonderful government wants our children to be uneducated, wants them to be uninformed, cause it is easier to control people that way. the future is in our children. It is just like the "war on drugs" who is winning? it is being fought on the wrong end, as long as there is a demand, there will always be a supply, stop the demand and what will happen? right, it is all the parents fault...also, not that I'm against equal rights, because I'm not, but since the women have intered the work force, it has helped to split families up, no one is at home, the family values are gone, seems that money is worth alot less, most under 35 probably have no clue to this because school doesn't teach honest truth, doen't get into this area at all, yes you could blame it on the parents because of diminished values, look at "Leave it to Beaver", that was wholesome, or "I Love Lucy", Lucy and Ricky didn't sleep in the same bed on tv, and now you see sex on regular TV, not porn, but close enough. so who is to blame?

Answer 3

environment, socio-economic status, poor parenting skills, peer pressure, lack of opportunity, abuse/neglect

I think lack of opportunity, socio-economic status, and environment are the biggest culprits (which I guess could lead to poor parenting later on). I don't blame some of these kids who steal, or deal drugs...hell if I was dirt *** poor and had to survive some how, I'd probably do the same thing too. You could argue that a lot of people make it out w/ out engaging in illegal activity, but what role models do young, poor teenagers have? They have no solid role models (except for the drug dealers, who have all the nice stuff).

Answer 4

Poor parenting is usually the root cause, but not 100% of the time. Bad influences such as neighborhood and friends play a major role. Without recognition and acceptance that what they are doing is ok, they woudln't do it.

Answer 5

You can't blame everything on the parents. Although they have alot to do with it. Once a juvenile reaches a certain age in thier teens they have more or less molded who they are going to become and what they are going to be like. There are many factors that influence teens like television, music, friends, magazines, etc. Also some kids are just born bad because it is in thier genes.

Answer 6

One theory raised by Judith Rich Harris is that friends and peers ultimately do an enormous part of the mental and emotional development of children that is often attributed to parents. Following that logic would mean that the people they grow up with would have a strong impact on criminal behavior.

Many people disagree with that idea, but it is one interesting answer that a scholar has come up with on this question.

Answer 7

Excellent question!

Do not blame parents. In some cases they may be to blame, but brilliant children rose from horrendous environments. On the other hand too, you have children of cops and judges putting them in shame with their behavior.

The factors here are choice, free will, and empowerment. Kids choose what to do, regardless of what was taught to them. And in this system, children are far more empowered than anyone envisioned they'd be.

The same laws that intended to protect them, created monsters

Answer 8

Self-Will. They do it because they want to do it.
A variety of elements can influence the decision, such as bad parents, peer pressure, movies, TV, money, and narcotics.
But it all boils down to their decision. They make the choice. They know right from wrong, even if they were not taught properly.
They think about it, mull it over (fight with conscience), then do it even though they know that it is wrong.

Answer 9

The parents are 95% to blame.

If a child is a HABITUAL offender, then they were not brought up in a proper enviroment with the rules and discipline necessary to prevent rasing a thug. That can be a number of things, but in a GREAT MAJORITY of cases, it's the child of a single parent. I know it's a tough situation, that's why as parents we have to make sacrifices to raise our kids. I know it's not always the governing parents fault that they are alone, but you know what, you chose to have sex at with the wrong person at the wrong time and for the wrong reasons. I'm no angel myself, but I have chosen to bypass a lot of situations that could have led me down that road.

If a child was just out being a teen, and ends up making some stupid decisions as teens often do, then it's a case of boredom, and not being able to see that C was caused by doing A and B. In this case, the parent isn't always to blame, but once again, what did you do to keep your teen out of the situation?

If you do not bring your child up with the idea that society is governed by a set of laws for which you are to obey, that is your fault. As parents we have to create the best enviroment that we can to bring our children up. We have to set them up for success. too many of our children are being set up (by the parents, whether by their actions or inactions) for failure.

Once a child is out of our hands and in postions to make decisions w/o our being around them (whether for a moment of time or because they are out on their own), the ONLY they have is the values we give them. It is OUR responsibilty to teach them right and wrong, NOBODY ELSE'S.

Answer 10

For attention. Any child who is commiting a crime is soooooooo crying out for attention. Between that and a lack of parental discipline.