Another possible explanation why the rate of crime is on the rise is the neglect of children who live in poor families. Most of the children from humble backgrounds hardly get quality education. There are countless cases of school drop outs and worse still, these children hardly find role models to mentor them as they grow up. It is against this backdrop that this paper explores and develops a correlation between poverty and juvenile delinquency.

We will write acustom essay on your topictailored to your instructions!

180experts online

Let us help you

Social scientists often argue that acts of crime can be contagious in locations affected by high levels of crime (Maholmes & King, 2012). Children who live in squalor conditions are highly likely to engage in destructive pastime activities in order to keep themselves busy. Past empirical records reveal that the juvenile justice system in the United States usually handle dozens of cases related to juvenile delinquency way before most of these children attain the age of 18 years. The juvenile justice system is the key feeder of the normal criminal courts. In most instances, the socioeconomic status of the suspected juvenile is often closely linked with the nature of crimes committed. This implies that the forum nature is rarely put into consideration when seeking proof of innocence or guilt among juvenile offenders. If this is the case, then it is obvious that most children who commit crimes have already been associated with poor backgrounds. Needless to say, poverty and crime are still twin aspects in social security bearing in mind that the state of security usually worsens in the presence of abject poverty.

Most of the grievous cases of crime have been observed in poor neighborhoods. Perhaps, the strain theory adopted by Robert Merton attempts to explain how difficult living conditions may rapidly contribute towards acts of crime. According to Merton, success in society comes through well defined institutionalized paths. According to the strain theory, people who live in poor conditions are highly pressed and as such, they can easily switch to crime as a way of attempting to be on the same social ladder with others in society. In other words, there are socially valued goals that every individual often desires to achieve. If such goals are disrupted by poverty, then some people may readily opt for crime.

In the case of children from poor households, education is a mere luxury that cannot be afforded. Therefore, they are significantly hampered from achieving certain goals in life. In addition, children who engage in acts of crime do so since they need to fend for themselves in terms of food, clothing and shelter (Maholmes & King, 2012). At this point, a close relationship between poverty and juvenile delinquency can be seen. Poverty is also a key ingredient that erodes family ethics and values. it has been researched and documented that conflict and acts of offense are rampant among families that cannot afford basic necessities. For instance, parents who find it cumbersome to shoulder family responsibilities may reach at a point of complete withdrawal in other words, they may fail to provide both basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter as well as emotional needs. Moreover, such parents may also withdraw from supervising and instilling discipline in their children. Another extreme may entail harsh forms of discipline that do not correct any wayward behavior among their children. Children who dwell in such family set ups are highly likely to develop negative attitudes about their individual families and eventually start engaging in crime at tender ages. It is vital to understand that broken family structure and values as occasioned by poverty has led to thousands of children engaging in crime (Peak, 2011).