Violent juvenile offenders and mental health
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Authors
Dragony, Mindi
Issue Date
2011
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
Forensic sciences
Alternative Title
Abstract
Children are exposed to many factors growing up some of which predisposes them to certain attitudes and behaviors. Adolescents are particularly vulnerable and this paper looks at the topic of how mental issues contribute to the problem of juvenile crime. The key research questions are what are the identified risk factors? What can be done to address these issues to reduce crime rates and recidivism among this population? For the research the participants were youth. Previous research indicates that children below fifteen years are most responsible for delinquent juvenile behavior. Consequently this research looks at the whole teenage bracket. The methods used included variables collected on the different mental issues youth face and the crime committed by these youthful offenders. The results indicate that mental health issues correlate significantly with violent juvenile crime. Statistics also indicate that early intervention with a child with mental health issues significantly reduces the juvenile crime recidivism rate. Juvenile males were also found to be predominantly more disposed than juvenile females to commit violent crime. Additionally, abuse in any form (physical, mental, emotional, sexual) was found to significantly increase the risk of committing violent crimes as a juvenile. Data was analyzed using DSM and ICD-10. This research underscores the importance of intervention in reducing juvenile crime and will be of interest to law enforcement, social workers and juvenile probation officers. However, the research reveals there is need for further research into mental health issues and it may be beneficial to cover broader categories like race and economic status among others in order to fully understand the implication of mental health on juvenile crime.