The Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency - 1498 Words

Juvenile delinquents vary from ages ten to eighteen who have committed an act that violates the law. With every crime that is committed, there is a victim who has been impacted negatively. In Hampden County and all throughout the country, juvenile delinquents have victimized other juveniles, but also parents, business owners and even complete strangers. My job as a Victim/Witness Intern was to be the voice for those who don’t have one in a court of law. All of the victims and witnesses are trying to achieve justice and live their life after being affected by a crime. Most of the cases I had worked on this semester have been domestic related where a juvenile’s mother, father or family member have had violent or aggressive behavior against†¦show more content†¦Most of the time, parents or other family members don’t expect harsh punishments in response to the abuse. They hope the juvenile will seek help or serious treatment. Usually the abuse is because the juvenile partakes in drug use or has had a negative affect by the environment around them. Other juveniles haven’t learned to control their feelings and don’t have much self-control. It’s unfortunate how these kids might even view their parent, more often their mother, as being weak and powerless and it’s ok to treat someone with violence. Siblings who may have witnessed the abuse of their mothers or close family member can be impacted dramatically. Children are able to see, hear and observe threats, actual incidents of physical or sexual abuse and may even view the aftermath of abuse such as blood or bruises. This makes the child aware of the tension in the home, making them always on stressed and unstable. There will be long term affects on the victims of this type of crime. The siblings who experience this abuse or are witnesses to domestic violence can become violent towards peers as well. It is a never-ending cycle for these families because they w ill not ever feel safe. One case that I worked with that really hit home on domestic violence was a single mother of one teenage boy who are immigrants from Iraq. She had moved here when her son was little so that he could have a good education in the United States. The