The Major Factors Of Poverty And Youth Crime

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Youth crime, although not prevalent in my area, continue to show signs of incremental increase over the years. This increase can be attributed to various factors; with poverty often being cited as one of the major reasons. Poverty and unemployment, however, cannot be viewed individually when it comes to crime, for the two are inextricably linked. Poverty and unemployment affect people all over the world, but when it comes to the youth, often times they are immature and quite impressionable and so are easily influenced or manipulated into engaging in criminal activity to provide for their needs. The level of poverty is different for each individual, and engagement in criminal activity is sometimes viewed not as a choice, but as a means of survival. …show more content…

Moreover, the stress and hassle of juggling both work and home may create a situation whereby single parents do not have the time to provide the necessary love and attention to foster healthy relationships and attitudes among the youth. This unfortunately, may cause children to seek comfort and attention elsewhere, such as the streets, gangs, drugs, etc.
Another factor which has contributed to youth crime is the negative influence of the media in glamorizing gang membership, guns, violence, drugs and promiscuity. This impact is so influential on the youth particularly because of the relative ease through which it is accessible. They hear it in the music that they listen to, the movies that they watch and even the games that they play, and so, with repeated exposure the youth can be easily conditioned to fall victim to the images or ideologies portrayed in the media. Typical example; in October of 2007, Daniel Petric shot and killed his mother and wounded his father over a video game. He was so obsessed with the violent video game that during the act, he didn’t view his parents as individuals but rather characters from the video game.
Children have a strong desire to be accepted or to fit in with their peers, and being that they

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