2 Types of Causal Factors in Juvenile Crime

Poverty - Many underage children (22 percent of children under the age of 18) live in poverty. Figures show that children from lower socioeconomic status families tend to commit more crime than children from upper socioeconomic status families. Poverty leads to social isolation and economic stress, which can be detrimental to an individual youth. The poor also develop the idea that society is their enemy. Hence, poverty produces conditions that nurture crime.

It is certain that the idea of poverting contributing to crime is a pervasive idea, and it logically appears to be true. Due to the alienation from society that occurs because of poverty, individuals living in such a state do not connect with society, and hence they do not restrain themselves not to go against it. They will do whatever is necessary in order to survive and to satisfy themselves: they will steal, rob, commit acts of violence, and commit other violations, because they do not feel that they are part of the society. And children, having been exposed to this during their developing childhood, become accustomed to this way of life and hence develop a penchant for it.

Family Factors - The proportion of fatherless children tends to be one of the most reliable indicators of juvenile crime. Families impart moral values upon children, but marriage has been sharply declining, and the number of children being raised in single-parent homes has been increasing. This is mostly due to divorce. Children born out of wedlock has contributed to this also (and this number is high as well). There are also significant gender, race, and SES interaction effects on juvenile crime. Most research results are mixed, and no clear causal family factors have been discovered to explain the correlation between fatherlessness and crime, but it is certainly unjust to blame single mothers, their parenting skills, or their economic condition for what are obviously more complex social problems.

Family factors are a paramount influence on juvenile crime. Since most children develop and mature around their families, family factors have a vital impact on the lives of children. If, for instance, a male child grows up without a father, he may instinctly feel obligated to provide for his family by whatever means necessary, even if this results in criminal activity. Another example would be if a child comes from a family with a history of domestic abuse. The child would have been privy to this, most likely both directly and indirectly, and hence would be imprinted with these acts, which the mind of the child could force into physical recreation later on or for which it could develop an apathic tolerance. Thus, family factors, due to their profound impact on a child's development, have a severe effect upon juvenile crime.