Monday, July 22, 2019
The Impacts of Poor Parental Responsibility on Future Criminality Essay Example for Free
The Impacts of Poor Parental Responsibility on Future Criminality Essay Introduction            Criminality is one of the most alarming social issues today. Despite efforts of the government and private organizations to minimize the occurrence of violence and offense, the statistics cease to decline. The age of offenders, on the contrary, continues to drop. (Asher 2006) reports that of the 9.6 million arrested by the FBI Uniform Crime Report in 2003, 16% were under the age of 18. Five percent barely reached 15 years of age. Studies have continuously pointed to many different causes and risk factors leading to juvenile offense and adult delinquency. Childhood factors, on the other hand, remains to be an essential point of many of these studies. One of these conditions in childhood is parenting.            Management of parental responsibilities and parenting styles differ significantly depending on the family structure and the societal conditions in which the family is in. As such, one parent’s reaction to a behavior manifested by a child may vary from another parent’s response. Likewise, factors surrounding a child can affect how he is going to respond to the actions and reactions of his parents. However, it is important to note that the child spends his formative years at home. This validates saying that management of parental responsibility affects the behavior of children, and can be a good indicator and intervention for a child’s risk for future criminality. Good and Bad Parenting            Parenting is a lifetime career, and it is a job that each parent should strive to be good at. When couples practice positive parenting, it shields their children from the likelihood of becoming a delinquent later in life. (Asher 2006) It is the parents, not the neighborhood, who establish the conditions at home. One, in fact, does not affect the other. (Thornberry and Hall 2005) These circumstances directly affect the growth of the children. (Eklund and af Klinteberg 2006) claims that poor parenting can lead to the development of antisocial behavior in children which they can carry to adulthood. (Huesmann 2002) agrees, saying that when a family is deprived of interaction and nurturing children are more prone to be aggressiveâ€â€a trait which may lead to criminality. Having two parents at home is not the sole requirement. The involvement of both parents to take on the roles of rearing the children and the relationship of the mother and the father with the children are equally important. (Eklund and af Klinteberg 2006) Both the mother and father or the figures playing these roles have different parenting perspectives that can shape their children. These perspectives should be agreed upon and communicated about, establishing a clear parenting system. The parenting system can be divided into three styles as formulated by Baumrind. The authoritarian parenting style puts control over the child and initiates a set of rules which the child should follow. Often, punishment is given if the child fails to abide by the rules. Authoritative, sometimes called equalitarian parenting, makes the child a part of the decision-making process. It exercises open communication with the child and sorts out circumstances before punishments, if applicable, are given. Permissive parenting, on the other hand, puts little control over the child and often lets the child decide for himself. (Parenting n.d.) (Smith 2004) claims that parenting styles may affect a teenager’s risk to be involved in deviant behavior and criminality. When parents neglect their children, impose harsh disciplinary measures, and create situations that lead to transitions in the family structure such as divorce or separation, the children are at a high risk of delinquency later in life. In a survey conducted to 39 parents of juvenile offenders, 46% were authoritarian, 29% were authoritative (equalitarian), and 25% were permissive. (Asher, 2006) This establishes a link in the likelihood of criminality among children who grew up in a controlling parenting style. This is not surprising because authoritarian parents have a hard time monitoring the activities of their children, who may not trust them with information of their activities for fear of rejection or being scolded. (Smith 2004) Permissive parenting, however, results in children who lack self control because they grew up in a family environment where little control is put over them. The best parenting style may be said to be the authoritative (equalitarian) parenting style which produces confident children with good social skills. (Parenting n.d.) But apart from parenting style, other factors may affect the risk of a child’s involvement in criminality. Linking Parental Responsibility and Delinquency            Even if parents practice authoritative parenting and strive to raise the perfect kids, several other aspects of the home can make or break a growing up child. Divorce, child abuse, exposure to substance abuse, religious orientation, and the family climate as a whole are family occurrences that may contribute to a child’s likelihood to be involved in crimes and offenses later in life. Divorce            Ideally, children should have a mother and a father, or persons who will take on the roles of the parents. When one parent is absent, it produces a family setting that differs from the standard, creating an environment for a child that deviates from the family setting that he knows and/or hears about. Children should grow up with a mother to nurture them and a father to support their emotional and social development. Without a father or a father figure, kids have a tendency to be aggressive, and lack patience and sense of responsibility. (Asher 2006)  (Thornberry et al 1999) claims that children whose families often go through transitions are more likely to be violent and be delinquents. A significant portion of the population studied in Rochester, Denver, and Pittsburgh also manifested drug use and abuse. The study showed that the more disruptions the family go through, the more likely the child is going to be delinquent later on. (Asher 2006) further proves this by quoting Chapman in saying that 53% of convicts grew up in homes without two-parent setups. Child Abuse and Maltreatment            Sometimes, it takes the rod to discipline a child; but using the rod too often may defeat the purpose and lead otherwise. When children are punished physically, they develop fear or much worse anger that leads to avoidance. (Parenting n.d.)           Parents may go out of control and unconsciously abuse the children physically, and raise criminals without knowing it.            Sixty eight percent of juvenile delinquents have been abused or neglected in their childhood. What the parents of these teenagers never knew is that child abuse increases a child’s risk to become a criminal later in life by as much as 40%. Exposure to violence can lead a child to become violent to others himself, as violence and aggression is learned early in life. This may later on result in offenses and criminality. (Love our Children USA 2005) In fact, in a study of 388 white males in Idaho, (Heck and Walsh 2000) proved that maltreatment in children accounted for the likelihood of violent delinquencies later on. (Huesmann 2002) agrees, saying that children who are rejected by their parents and received harsh punishments grow up aggressive, putting them at a high risk of being arrested when they grow up. Exposure to Substance Abuse            A study developed by (Eklund and af Klinteberg 2006) proved that alcohol abuse at home contributed as a major factor for persistent criminality in children. The study also showed that children reared in households where there is alcohol abuse had a tendency to abuse alcohol themselves. Today, alcohol is not the only culprit that parents should watch for. Variations of illegal drugs and drug alternatives are also widely available, and the children will most likely be exposed to them especially when parents abuse them. This becomes a risk factor for them to have violent behavior and to get involved in criminal activities at the worst. Religious Orientation            It is a challenge to every couple to raise their children in an environment that believes in a supreme being, no matter what sect or religion the couple belongs to. This proves to be a protective factor for children, defending them from becoming delinquents later in life. Parents who attended church more when their children were at their formative years, which is before the age of eight, had little or no problems with their children becoming arrested or convicted. They also find it easier to communicate with their children and discuss problems, a factor that helps the children be expressive and avoids them from having violent tendencies and committing offenses. (Huesmann 2002) Family Climate            The condition of the family as a whole can be a major indicator of later delinquency in children. According to (McCord 1991), couples should properly manage maternal competence, paternal interaction, and family expectations as these can be directly linked to juvenile delinquency. The poorer these factors were managed, the more likely delinquency can occur.            Mothers should be able to handle the household and manage it with authority yet compassion. Fathers should have more interaction with the other members of the family, especially with the children, instead of becoming the quiet stereotype that old media has portrayed the paternal role. Family expectations should be moderatedâ€â€not too high and strict nor too low and permissiveâ€â€so that the children can grow up goal oriented. In a study, only 5% of boys raised in this ideal family setting were involved in criminality, while 47% of those who grew up under the contrary circumstances became delinquents. (McCord 1991) Parental Responsibilities and Liabilities            The parents’ role in rearing their children does not stop when the children leave the house. Unless the children are more than 18 years of age, parents are held responsible in supervising them. Education is one of the most sensitive responsibilities that parents have over their children, as parents are tasked to ensure that their children go to school until the age of 16. Likewise, parents are held liable when children go astray and make offenses towards other people and the law. (Governor’s Crime Commission 2000)            Juvenile delinquency does not only affect the well-being of the child but the parents as well. As parents, they are responsible in attending the hearings and make efforts in speaking with the attorney and the judge to be informed about the development of the case. Parents may also be asked by victims to be responsible and pay for the damages caused by their children. (Governor’s Crime Commission 2000) In certain instances, parents may also have to accomplish community service sentences with their children, attend seminars to improve parental responsibility, or worse lose custody of their children when the court finds that they cannot responsibly handle them. (Colorado Judicial Branch 2001)            To avoid such inconveniences, it is wise for parents to take charge of the children. The younger the children are disciplined, the less likely that they will develop problems with delinquency and criminality when they grow older. Even before the children enter school, parents should start educating themselves and accessing training programs that will help them be responsible parents. They should learn how to detect problems and solve them proactively, and promote openness of communication with their children to lessen the risk of future criminality. Discussion            Rearing children can be a difficult task, and a sensitive one at that. A child’s experiences in his early age can greatly affect his perception of life, of people, and of the society. Therefore, it is important that parents or people taking on the role of parents be attentive enough to the emotional, social, psychological, and physiological needs of the children they are raising.            Parenting can be any of three styles, and it is dependent on the parents and the background of the family to choose which style works best for them. However, studies have repeatedly proven that authoritative, otherwise known as equalitarian parenting, is the style that gets the best results. As it is a positive parenting approach and involves the children in the process of parenting and decision making, this style opens the communication lines between the parents and the child, making the child more comfortable to interact with them. This contradicts authoritarian parenting which assumes full control of the child, creating hostility between the parents and the child. On the other hand, authoritative (equalitarian) parenting corrects the improper management and imposition of discipline carried out with permissive parenting. The choice of parenting style, though, is not enough. Parents should also take care of their choices, which affect the occurrences at home. Divorce, child abuse and maltreatment, substance abuse, religious orientation, and the family climate are other indicators of good parenting.            While divorce is a choice for the couples to make, couples should consider the effects of the separation to their children. The same intervention applies especially if new people will be involved in the relationship after the divorce. The preparedness of the children in accepting the family transition can spell the impact for them in the future. Child abuse and maltreatment should also be avoided, and induction of punishment should be put under control as this exposes the child to violence and other psychological effects that can lead him to be violent as well when he becomes an adult. Substance abuse in parents can also greatly affect substance abuse among children; and even if parents do not abuse drugs or alcohol their perception and management of these issues among their children can pretty much put a certain level of control over the children’s choice to abuse substances later on. Religious orientation and family climate should also be as positive as possible, to help raise kids that are not prone to delinquency.            Parents are responsible for their children until they reach the age of 18. Thus, it is important that parents impose discipline among their children and prevent future criminality. Conclusion            The statistics of crime rates and criminals are on the rise, and a good starting point in curtailing the growth of the statistics can be found at home. Poor parenting puts children at risk to becoming criminals. In effect, if parents observe good parenting practices and manage the growth of their children properly, there is less chance for their children to become delinquents, and more chance in raising productive members of the society.   References Asher, J. â€Å"Exploring the Relationship Between Parenting Styles and Juvenile Delinquency.†2006. http://www.ohiolink.edu/etd/view.cgi?miami1165594171 (27 April 2007) Colorado Judicial Branch. â€Å"Answers to Your Questions About Juvenile Delinquency.†2001. http://www.courts.state.co.us/exec/pubed/brochures/juvenile.pdf (2 May 2007) Eklund, J. and af Klinteberg, B. â€Å"Stability of and Change in Criminal Behavior: A Prospective Study of Young Male Lawbreakers and Controls.†2006. http://www.iafmhs.org/files/Eklundspring06.pdf (27 April 2007) Governor’s Crime Commission. â€Å"You and the Juvenile Justice System: A Guide for Youths, Parents, and Victims.†2000. http://www.doa.state.nc.us/yaio/documents/justice.pdf (2 May 2007) Heck, C. and Walsh, A. â€Å"The Effects of Maltreatment and Family Structure on Minor and Serious Delinquency.†2000. http://www.sagepub.com/martin/Heck.pdf (27 April 2007) Huesmann, L. R. â€Å"Childhood Predictors of Adult Criminality: Are All Risk Factors Reflected in Childhood Aggressiveness?†2002. http://www.andrews.edu/~rbailey/Chapter%2016/10133509.pdf (27 April 2007) Love our Children USA. â€Å"Teen Violence Prevention.†2005. http://www.loveourchildrenusa.org/parent_preventteenviolence.php (27 April 2007) McCord, J. â€Å"Family Relationships, Juvenile Delinquency, and Adult Criminality.†1991.  http://courses.missouristate.edu/KarlKunkel/SOC540/mccord.pdf (27 April 2007) Parenting. â€Å"Parenting.†N.d. www.radford.edu/~dhall/parenting.ppt (27 April 2007) Smith, D. â€Å"Parenting and Delinquency at Ages 12 to 15.†2004. http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/cls/esytc/findings/digest3.pdf (27 April 2007) Thornberry, T. and Hall, G. â€Å"The Joint Impact of Family and Community Structure on Violent Delinquency.†2005. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/215999.pdf (27 April 2007) Thornberry, T. et al. â€Å"Family Disruption and Delinquency.†1999. http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/178285.pdf (27 April 2007)
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