Causes

• Criminologists recognize a variety of causes when examining the roots of juvenile delinquency. Family expectations, especially when parents or other relatives themselves may be under court supervision or incarcerated, impact the behavior of children. Peers, especially gang members, also influence juvenile actions. Some children may feel labeled as delinquents, and therefore act out as such, a type of self-fulfilling prophecy. Community expectations expand on this thought process by encouraging criminal behavior in either subtle or overt ways. Economic, social and even cultural factors can further influence delinquent behaviors. The media also occasionally, if not intentionally, promotes violence, which can impact children's actions as well.
  
  

Effects

• As of 2011, juvenile delinquency costs the U.S. more than $1 billion a year, according to educator Cynthia H. Roberts. Juvenile delinquency robs society of some of its brightest and best young people, who choose to pursue a lifestyle of criminal behavior. Some will become institutionalized and engage in further violent behavior, costing victims their lives and casting further financial burdens onto society. In turn, the general population may view certain areas of a city, usually urban, as undesirable.
  
  

Solutions

• Early intervention with the least restrictive but most effective method possible to impact the offender works when attempting to solve the problem of juvenile delinquency. In other words, an 11-year-old juvenile who commits an infraction does not need to be incarcerated with a 17-year-old felon with a history of violent offenses. Diversion programs that offer education classes based on the specific offenses provide a foundation to address the issue that caused the arrest in the first place. Sometimes, counseling can assist offenders who have substance abuse or mental health issues. Other offenders benefit from probation and close supervision in the community. According to the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, incarceration should be reserved for the most violent juvenile offenders only when absolutely necessary for the safety of society.
  
  

Statistics

• According to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, in 2008 law enforcement agencies arrested slightly over two million juveniles under the age of 18, while the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice reported that California led the nation in both juvenile arrests and incarceration rates in 2006, with close to 17,000 young people in custody. Florida, second in the nation in incarceration rates, detained just over 8,000 juveniles. Minorities represented a disproportionate number of these populations.