Prevention and Detection of Juvenile Delinquency

 Posted on May 04, 2017 in Theft

Parents often question their decisions and actions when raising their children. Are the parents nurturing enough? Are they strict when necessary? When your child is arrested and charged with minor delinquency such as juvenile theft, you may begin to question how you, as a parent, failed your child.

While there are methods to prevention and detection of delinquent behavior, the truth is that there may not be anything that could have prevented the incident; sometimes kids just behave foolishly and make mistakes. However, these small lapses in judgment do not need to derail their lives.

Early Detection

The road to true delinquency does not occur overnight; it is a path similar to adolescence. Most teens and young adults do not wake up in the morning believing that they are going to hang out with the wrong crowd that day or partake in destructive behavior. These paths are eased into slowly. Recent research shows that there are two beginning points for delinquency, including:

• Severe antisocial behavior in early childhood; and
• New antisocial behavior at the entry into adolescence.

Prevention of Delinquency

State and federal governments created programs that dissuade mischievous tendencies. These options are proven to have a high success rate at preventing any future delinquent behavior. If you believe your child potentially may travel the wrong path, it is important to stop this possibility as soon as possible, as the wrong way often results in years of incarceration and potentially early death.

Programs in place to help children before behavior gets to this point include:

• Classroom and behavior management;
• Multi-component classroom-based programs;
• Social competence promotion;
• Conflict resolution and violence prevention;
• Bullying prevention;
• Recreational after school programs;
• Mentoring;
• School organizations; and
• Comprehensive community programs.

A Charge is Not a Conviction

As a parent of a first or second-time accused teen, you may wonder if your child's future is over. It is important to know that a charge is not a conviction. There are programs in place and defenses available to reduce or drop many accusations.

If you are interested in discussing your options with a DuPage County, IL juvenile defense attorney to help your child’s future, contact Davi Law Group, LLC today. We have experience successfully assisting countless clients just like you and your child. If you would like to schedule your initial consultation at one of our four convenient locations, contact us today by calling 630-580-6373.

Sources:

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/186162.pdf

http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=32014