The Link between Poverty and Crime Rates

Research Problem: The Link between Poverty and Crime Rates Research Question: Can creating after-school programs in low-income neighborhoods prevent juvenile delinquency? According to Susan Young et al. (2018), there has been a rise in juvenile delinquency since the rise of urbanization. Juvenile delinquency is a term that refers to a young person who participates in criminal activities. Youth in these low-income neighborhoods are generally unsupervised due to a lack of income for childcare while the parents are working. Socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the most well-documented correlates of juvenile delinquency. Many studies have shown that youths from low-SES families are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior than youths from high-SES families Rekker et al (2015). Between 1980 and 1990 the United States saw a large rise in youth crimes, leading to the development of harsher juvenile laws. This research question aims to answer whether creating after-school programs in low-income communities will lower juvenile crime rates. Juvenile delinquents from these neighborhoods often end up in jail or dead. A study by Joseph Doyle, a researcher at the Massachusetts Institute for Technology, found that 40% of juvenile offenders ended up in adult prison for crimes committed by the time they reached the age of 25. Patterns of Symptoms 1. Socio-economic instability 2. Substance abuse and violence in the home 3. Lack of moral guidance and supervision 4. Poor school performance Causes and conditions of juvenile delinquency are found at every level of society, however, it is important to understand what leads juveniles to delinquency. Socio-economic instability usually means that the parents are frequently unemployed or lack a steady income, this may lead young people to participate in criminal activities to make ends meet or obtain the things they want. They may begin looking for alternative methods of making money. Joining gangs, stealing, and hustling drugs to make a quick buck. Another cause of juvenile delinquency is parental negligence and lack of moral guidance. Juveniles who grow up with lax parents who leave them unsupervised have a higher chance of getting involved in delinquent behavior. Researching the Symptoms Poor parenting skills, family size, home discord, child maltreatment, and antisocial parents are risk factors linked to juvenile delinquency (Derzon and Lipsey, 2000). This means that experiences that youth face with poverty and lack of parental support during childhood can lead to delinquency. There is also a link between paternal hostility toward others as well as their children triggering delinquent paths. According to Moitra et al. (2017), parenting behaviors affect the development of delinquent behavior. Moitra goes on to state that delinquent behaviors were more rampant in permissive parents compared to stricter parents. Mitigating ethical issues The research involves articles from various authors, mitigating the issues of plagiarism. The authors were cited, and a reference page was provided. The author ensures the anonymity of the test subjects in cases where real data was collected for research purposes. The resources used were assessed for accuracy and reliability before conclusions were drawn. What is the topic you will be researching? The Link between Poverty and Crime Rates in juveniles Research Question What is the problem you want to address? reducing the number of juveniles in lowincome neighboorhoods that end up in the justice system What do you want to know? Would having activities or safe spaces for juveniles in these neighboorhood be benefical? Can creating after school programs for youth in low-income neighborhoods reduce rate of juvenile deliquency?