Austin Holzer And Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency stems from a variety of reasons, that individually explain its cause. Dysfunctional homes, lack of parental supervision, low self-esteem, peer pressure, and many more may contribute to a child’s deviant behavior. In Austin Holzer’s situation, he allegedly gunned down a Mesa County Sheriff’s Officer in Denver, Colorado. Holzer is now 18 years old, however, committed the crime when he was 17, in February 2016. Primarily, questions are as whether, or not charge him as an adult on the account of juvenile delinquency, or first degree murder. According to Psychologist, Joe Peraino, he believes that his actions were ascribed to his “unstable childhood,”and that rehabilitation services should be sanctioned upon him, opposed to

incarceration. With immense exposure to disorganized communities, a child is likely to acquire a potential criminal background in the future.

Specifically, living standards of the sort, could produce aberrant behavior, which could strive towards juvenile drug use and gang involvement.

Austin Holzer is from an unstable home, which has significantly impacted his current lifestyle. According to Gabrielle Porter, Holzer was abandoned by his mother as an infant, being left to grow up with a physically abusive father. Consequently, as a mechanism used to endure his circumstances, he retreated to drugs. Holzer had admitted to snorting OxyContin for the first time at age 7, subsequently selling marijuana soon after, and using methamphetamine on a “nearly daily” basis by the age of 14 and 15. Holzer was also sexually assaulted by his babysitter as a youth, which resulted in him “pimping” out a girls. Not only was his human trafficking retaliation for alleviating purposes, yet also a source of income in order to accommodate his

financial needs. In relation to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, juveniles that use drugs experience problems that could influence delinquent behavior. Juvenile drug use could result in poor academic success, poor relationships with other individuals, and an effect on his or her health. Drugs can be affordable, yet costly once one becomes addicted. Therefore with parents and children's reliance on drugs, not only could it destroy close bonds within the family, but it could also reduce the family's financial resources. Drugs contain substances that could impair the general functions of the mind. However, such modification is only meant for adult resistance. A child has not fully developed until his or her mid twenties, meaning that the drug itself could impede healthy internal and external growth for the child. Activities of the sort are categorized as adult acts, with no intention of child engagement. Nonetheless, with Holzer’s exposure to drugs, it only made his life become progressively worse.
Alongside negligence, may be accompanied by seeking attention from individuals within his or her surroundings.

Holzer has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder that was never treated, due to his parental situation. With the absence of his mother, and his father failing at his parental duties, Holzer felt neglected, and frequently ran away from home. Leaving home also caused Holzer be a truant,which influenced him to be more involved in the streets. Thus, in order to fill the emptiness in his life, he resorted to a group of people who shared similar circumstances with him. With the correspondence in the situations, the negative influences upon each other only inclined. Thus, a gang was formed, and was accompanied by illicit activity. The crime Holzer committed was ascribed to his ADHD, which if treated, would have prevented the his delinquent acts. He the lack of guardianship in Holzer’s life was also perceived as a contribution to his gang participation. As a conclusion, Peraino recommended residential treatment and therapy for his disorder. His reasoning was based on the belief that, confining Holzer in an adult prison, would only supplement his behavior, making him a bigger threat to the community once released. The crack epidemic was on account for the increase in juvenile gangs and drug use, as children were seen as instruments. With drugs in the play of delinquency, territorial monopoly was exercised, which caused violence to transpire. Generally once one is

involved in a gang, the only home they are familiar with, is his or her external environment. Thus, the methods used to obtain commodities may not comply with the recreational means of doing so. With Holzer in a gangs, the use of deadly weapons was an aspects of the lifestyle. Consequently, with his access to such technology and violent character, the shooting of Sheriff Deputy Derek Geer had occurred, and resulted in death.
In conclusion, juvenile drug use and gangs increase abnormal behavior, but only ascribed to the child’s living standards. Dysfunctional homes, initiate poor academics success, truancy, negative relationships with people, gang involvement, and other delinquent acts. Nevertheless, the extent of drug use and gang involvement will continue to grow, as long as the root of the deviant behavior has been deserted, and not improved.