Capstone Project on "Child Poverty Effects Crime Rates"

Capstone Project 10 pages (3252 words) Sources: 6 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

This fierce competition within the industry requires the professionals to be more skillful and competent than ever. In this race, the people with the lowest income group fall behind other because they did not got the opportunity to attain education with facilities that can enhance their skills and talents. In fact, these people have been deprived with the basic educational facilities at many instances. This lack of educational attainment causes them to stand in the last position in the job market. Adverse consequences of it create anger and frustration, which promotes them to be engaged in activities that are considered offensive and criminal (Maynard & Feldman, 2011).

Empirical studies have concluded the fact that young adults and teens who belonged to the family of unemployed parents are more exposed to the risk of having a high rate of unemployment in their later lives (Maynard & Feldman, 2011).

Impact of Poverty on Teen Pregnancy

Teen pregnancy has been considered as another harsh impact of child poverty. Wide ranging studies have revealed the fact that multiple risk factors profoundly contributes to the possibility that makes teens of low income group engage in unprotected sex, become pregnant, and give birth. Amongst all the other factors, poverty is considered as one of the essential and high rated causes, while others include single-parent family, low performance in school, and parents with low educational achievement (De Zutter, 2007).

The statistical records exhibit that a significant proportion of teenage mothers belong to low-income social groups (poverty). Due to lack of educational attainment, they are unemployed or working at a very low wage, due to which they are not able to support their children. However, their lower earning potentials lead them to have welfare from various sources. In order to support their children and family, they become involved in activities that can put them behind bars (De Zutter, 2007).

Few other studies have highlighted the fact that the teens that are not engaged in educational activities, they are less acquainted with options known for having safe sex. Moreover, lack of sufficient funds also causes them to be less aware of information and knowledge related to intimate relationships. Due to deficit of understanding, teens with low socio-economic background or minority groups are likely to become teenage moms (De Zutter, 2007).

Many researchers have attempted to find out the association between teen pregnancies to poverty levels. The most common and widespread answer that has been identified the researchers conclude that teen parenting has been the option (on a priority basis in comparison to the option of education and employment) because of having few economic prospects in their lives. This has also been termed as their cultural norm that has existed from a long time. Minority or teens of low economic status have developed the perception that due to poverty and having unequal rights in the society, they would not be able to have economic success even if they receive education. Therefore, they opt for choices as a part of their cost-benefit analysis that favors their short-term satisfaction, because according to them anything that they do would only continue to be poor (De Zutter, 2007).

Another aspect that has been identified from the studies of poverty and teen pregnancy indicates that young people who have been unfortunate with their economic statues and have lived a life under extreme deprivation in their childhood period are more likely to give births in their teenage period of life. This usually happens because they do not have any expectations from the education system, since they do not receive quality education only because of their low economic status. Similarly, they do not even have any positive hopes from the job market as well, because the teens of today are well aware of the competitive marketplace that search for highly qualified people. This apparently demonstrates the fact that lack of opportunity and hope for a better future (economic wise) are the key driving force that leads to rates of teen pregnancy (De Zutter, 2007).

Impact of Poverty on Crime amongst Teens

On a broad spectrum, extensive researches have undoubtedly concluded the fact that crime rate ranks high amongst the adverse effects of poverty. Even though the association of poverty and criminal action is complex, yet, studies that has emphasized on the relationship of antisocial personality disorder to that of lower socio-economic classes have apparently predicted the children of low family income and poor housing being reported with much more cases of juvenile and young adult offending (Sheila, 2005).

According to numerous sources of information, the children living in impoverished neighborhoods (caused by social, family, or economic disadvantage) are more exposed to discrimination and social exclusion, which impacts their overall personality development and drives them to become more aggressive as an outcome of reactions to the stressful incidences. The antisocial behavior (conduct disorder) results in reduced self-control, which causes them to be involved in activities that are considered offensive and criminal in nature (Sheila, 2005).

Extensive range of studies has reported strong association of high prevalence of mood disorders (such as depression, anxiety, aggressiveness, and so on) with low socio-economic status. In addition, these occurrences of mood disorders have exhibited significant and constantly elevated results when compared to other socio-economic status levels. Lower levels of education and attainment levels contributed to more vulnerable results of the positive relationship of socio-economic status with the exposure to mood disorder (Sheila, 2005).

Quite a few studies have also brought the fact into the limelight that due to high poverty levels, the children are not able to gain access to the basic necessities of life. Moreover, they are not even able to attain an adequate level of education, which results not only in high drop-outs in their later stage of educational career but these children remain unskilled with cognitive and other developmental talent. However, they need to spend the time (that was dedicated to school hours) somewhere, and this time is being utilized in an unconstructive manner by the young adults (Sheila, 2005).

Consequently, most of these young adults remain either unemployed or have employment with minimum wages in their teenage and adolescence stage. This social exclusion for a very long time causes personality disorders as it disturbs the entire process of their personality development. As sever and adverse outcomes, they are forced to commit illegal and offensive acts, which eventually increases the crime rates amongst poor teens and young adults (Sheila, 2005).

Recent researches and investigations have emphasized on the concern of accelerating risk of crime rate, and the only cause that have been explained for this concern is the rising child poverty rates. Indeed, according to the experts childhood poverty has become a consistent risk factor of violent activities amongst teens and young adults. It has been increasingly observed that the children falling under the poverty considers the approach of criminal actions as one of the cost-effective techniques that can help them in attaining long-term success (Sheila, 2005).

Since the people of lower income group do not receive adequate amount of social support that is easily accessible to people of higher income group within society, their lives are disrupted to a significant degree. This impoverishment makes their lives more miserable and causes them to suffer. As a consequence, anger, depression, and frustration is developed within their personalities that provoke them to commit offensive activities and criminal actions. They are at a greater risk to commit such illegal actions only to fulfill and repair their economic quandary. In fact, survival and happiness is the only motive behind this constant struggle (Sheila, 2005).

Conclusion

To put the entire dissertation succinctly, it can be declared that a specific list of factors does not contribute to increased crime rates amongst teens and young adults, but, the presence of multiple risks factors in a person's life lead to this issue. Every individual have different capacities to respond to certain situations, however, the risk factors only increase the chance for an individual to respond in a negative manner, as the human psychology states. Amongst the risks factors, child poverty is considerably one of the integral and significant causes that have resulted in increased crime rate amongst teens and young adults in today's society.

Child poverty has been identified as a major component that contributes to lack of education and skills development, unemployment, teen pregnancy, and crime rates. These risks factors are present with child poverty because the individuals are deprived from the basic necessities that augments the risk factor of offending. Nevertheless, the positive influences appear to be a shining star that can counter all the negative influences. The presence of the positive elements can foster resilience against the adversity that they have encountered in their lives.

Interventions that can foster positive perceptions amongst the children of low socio-economic groups like improving parenting practices, progressing household income, increased opportunity for high quality education, community connectedness and various others should… READ MORE

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