by Madison Starr

Created on: April 25, 2008

Juvenile delinquency is not a new issue in society. In fact, it's been evident for ages. However, in recent times, the media attention given to it has grown and it's occurring more often. Acts committed by juveniles are more heinous than ever. The crimes of juvenile-committed battery and even murder are not unheard of in today's society. So, where did we go wrong?

There are many arguments presented in answer to that question. Everyone starts pointing a finger at someone else. Blame the parents. Blame the justice system. Blame genetics and psychological disorders. Blame society as a whole. Unfortunately, the blame lies with all of the above, in varying degrees. It depends on each individual case.

Many factors contribute to juvenile delinquency. Quite a few of them have to do with the lack of a certain ingredient that is important to the growth process. Lack of responsible role models, guidance, education, supervision, discipline, and attention are some of them. Others include the human's natural instinct to rebel, peer pressure, child abuse, boredom, and possible psychological disturbances.

Another theory is that the economy plays a role as well. Some will argue that a poor economy promotes criminal behavior in all age groups. Yet, there are crimes committed by juveniles in wealthy communities as well, leaving this theory up for debate.

Teenagers have long acquired an infamous reputation of being rebels. It is as though we have an expectation for them to misbehave a little during their transition into adulthood. It seems accepted by society as normal behavior for them by adults. After all, they are just rebellious teenagers, aren't they?

We have all heard of the numerous things teenagers do to rebel against authority. We may have committed some of them ourselves in the past. Teens sneak out of their bedrooms late at night, cut school, hang out with the "wrong" crowd, do drugs, and have underage sex, get tattoos, or party excessively. However, when does rebellion go too far?

Many children in today's society are home alone after attending school. Some parents expect their children to raise themselves with very little input from them. A percentage of parents only see their children one to two hours each day. Is that enough attention and guidance to deter a child from getting bored and turning inward to find ways to occupy their time?

Some children, when faced with lack of attention from their parental figure(s), will do anything to get it. They stop caring if the attention

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