There is no doubt that various books and experts can give us many theories as to the
causes of juvenile delinquency, including one's economic background, substance abuse, peer
groups, repeated exposure to violence through the family circit, increased availability of firearms
and media violence, however, I feel that the number one cause of juvenile delinquency is the
breakdown of families, including lack of parental control over children. It is ironic that
one must have a driver's license to operate a car, a permit to own a gun and ...view middle of the document...
Being a parent is a lifelong commitment and new parents must learn
parenting skills immediately; they do not have the luxury of internships and often times, mistakes
in parenting will have drastic effects on the child.
There are many reasons for the widespread crisis in families today. Below are some of
those causes:
1. Changes in the Social Environment - there have been many changes in our social
environment over the last number of years. These changes have made a risky
environment for today's youth.
2. Children and teenagers spend more time with peer groups than ever before.
3. Drugs
4. Weapons are used increasingly as ways to solve minuscule problems.
5. Illicit and explicit sexuality and violence are the main subjects of choice in the media;
and the impact of media influence has widened and become more vivid with the intro-
duction of computers, video games, portable stereos and Much Musics' wide range of
listening material.
Confusion About Parent Roles and Parent Control - When children reach adolescence,
conflict between parents and teens normally increases as teens need to distance themselves from
parental identity to establish their own identity.
