JUVENILE JUSTICE

1. JUVENILE JUSTICE Chapter 3 Growth and Development The First 18 Years

2. INFLUENCES ON CHILD’S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT • Community • Police, Courts, Corrections, Businesses, Church, Gangs, Youth Groups, Neighbors, Civic Groups, Health Care Providers • School • Teachers, Peers, Counselors, Co-curricular Activities • Family • Parents, Siblings, Relatives

3. INFLUENCES ON CHILD’S GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT • JC jurisdiction over youth varies in states according to age: 15 years (3 States), 16 years (10 States) 17 years (38 States, including Hawaii)

4. What Children need for Healthy Growth and Development • Choices and challenges: Opportunity to learn, explore and stretch their limits • Healthy and safe surroundings: Feel secure and protected • Independence: Develop own personality and self-confidence-know others have faith in them • Love: Know that they are loved, physically and emotionally • Direction: Know rules and boundaries and consequences for their actions • Respect and recognition: Respected for who they are and praised for their accomplishments • Encouragement: Supported and helped to grow and develop • Nurtured: Attention to their mental and emotional needs as well as nutritional needs

5. TV VIOLENCE • Violence On TV leads to aggressive behaviors in children • Children become less sensitive to pain and suffering around them • May be more fearful of world • More likely to behave in aggressive or harmful ways towards others

6. INDIVIDUAL RISK FACTORS • Early antisocial behavior • High behavioral activation • Low behavioral inhibitions • Labeling • Self-fulfilling prophecies

7. CHILDREN LIVING IN POVERTY • 11 million children living in poverty (2000) • 55.5% in single parent homes headed by mothers • Very young black and Hispanic children • Economic Deprivation= malnutrition and psychological ills • Homelessness • Depression and mother/child bonding • Developmentally delayed • Behavioral problems • Increased risk of lead poisoning • Increased impulsiveness, restlessness and aggression • Under-weight infants and under-developed

8. SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN • Emotionally and Behaviorally Disturbed • Severe aggression, or impulsiveness • Severely withdrawn • Mood swings • Disordered thought process • Attention Deficit Disorder • Heightened motor activity • Short attention span • Impulsiveness • Interferes with learning • Boys with ADHD high-risk for delinquency

9. SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN • Alcohol and Drug Exposed • Cognitive problems • Low birth weight • Disabilities in both gross & fine motor control • Decrease in muscle strength • Learning disabilities • Mental Retardation • Language Delays

10. SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN • Learning Disabilities • Deficits in Learning abilities • Short attention span • Poor memory • Difficulty following directions • Inadequate ability to distinguish between numbers, letters or sounds • Eye-hand coordination problems • Discipline Problems • High-risk for Drop-out

11. SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN • HIV Exposed • Experience deficits in fine and gross motor skills • Reduced flexibility and muscle strength • Cognitive impairment • Learning disabilities • Mental retardation • Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) • 1-2/1,000 born in the U.S. • Abnormal facial features • Growth retardation • Problems with central nervous system • Fetal Alcohol Effect (FAE) • Facial Features look normal, but children experience same problems as FAS

12. LABELING & SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES • Positive vs Negative communication toward child • Experiments: Brilliant, Average, Below-Average • Consequences of Labeling • Self-fulfilling prophesy “you are what you think you are”

13. ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT • See Page 83 for details • Early Adolescence (10-12 years) • Physical: Puberty starts (rapid growth), usually starts two years earlier for Girls • Cognitive: Inconsistent thoughts, Shifts from immature to mature thinking • Emotional: Seeks independence, wants control in decision making • Social: Has desire to “fit in” to be well liked, groups form, wants no adult supervision, peer pressure begins

14. ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT • Middle Adolescence (13-15 • Physical Development: Puberty continues, boys have growth spurts, Acne and body order, poor eating habits develop, Aware & sensitive of peers’ growth dev. • Cognitive: Abstract Thinking begins, Problem solving, analytical thinking & writing deficient, Girls begin failing, peer conformity • Emotional: Craves freedom, Good at masking feelings, Intense desire for privacy, increased sexual desires, needs praise • Social: Friendships and romance, realizes other points of view, moral reasoning, development of self-concept, meaningful relationships with peers and adults

15. ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT • Late Adolescence (16 + years) • Physical: Boys’ growth doubled since 12 yrs. Old, Appetite increased, Eating Disorders may appear • Cognitive: Critical thinking and reasoning, Wants to make own decisions, develop own beliefs, values, career choices, increased peer conformity • Emotional: Personal identity, self esteem continues to dev., decision making, coping skills and problem solving, worries about life, mature friendships, generally strong ties with family • Social: Independence developed and demonstrated, susceptibility to peer pressure declines, cooperation increases, begins forming heterosexual groups, same-sex relationships strengthen, after-school work, social causes

16. ADOLESCENCE • Development of Early Offending Behaviors • Lack of family life • Boredom, loneliness • Low attachment to community or school • Deviant peers or peer rejection can influence non-delinquent youth to become delinquent

17. ADOLESCENCE • Alcohol and Other Drugs had direct correlation with delinquency • Majority of adolescents coming into JJS had history of substance use • Problems with family, academic difficulties, health and poor peer relations • Juvenile drug use is related to chronic use and violence that continues onto adulthood

18. ADOLESCENCE • U.S. has the highest rates of teen pregnancy than other industrialized countries • 4/10 girls get pregnant before age 20 • Teen mothers less likely to complete high school and end up on welfare • Teen births have increased risk of low-birth weight and pre-maturity, mental retardation, poverty, growing-up w/o father • Created a class of poor young women • Evidence of intergenerational transfer of poverty

19. INFLUENCE OF FAMILY • Family is the first teacher • Values, Morals and models of behavior • Healthy family life produces high self-esteem, good communication skills, good attitudes towards others and the world • Children in families with high levels of parental efficacy are low risk for delinquency • Inadequate parenting are predictors of antisocial behaviors

20. INFLUENCE OF FAMILY Common Values passed on to youth include: Equality Honesty Promise-keeping Respect Responsibility Self-control

21. INFLUENCE OF FAMILY Behavioral problems associated with: High-level of parent/child conflict Poor monitoring Low-level of parent involvement Discipline Practices

22. INFLUENCE OF FAMILY • Census Bureau Identified 6 Risk Factors for Delinquency • Poverty • Welfare Dependence • Absent Parents • One-parent Families • Unwed mothers • Parents who have not completed High school

23. Influence of Schools • Children who succeed in school have greater possibility of succeeding in life • Peer approval and acceptance more important to adolescents than approval of parents or teachers • Truancy is high indicator that child is at risk for delinquent behaviors

24. Influence of Schools • Student responses to School Failure • Truancy • Joining Gangs • Dropping-out • Drinking • Doing Drugs • Delinquent Behaviors • Suicide Ideation • Attitudes toward Public Schools • # 1 Lack of Financial Support • # 2 Lack of Discipline

25. PROBLEMS IN SCHOOLS • Substance Use • (6-25% under influence of alcohol or marijuana) • Bullying • 8% students reported being bullied (2000) • Crime & Violence • 1.9 million violent or theft in schools (2000) • 59/1,000 in 1993 to 26/1,000 in 2000 • Zero Tolerance • Pre-determined consequences for offenses in schools

26. STUDENT RIGHTS IN SCHOOLS • Students have full Constitutional Rights in Schools • Rights against illegal search and seizure • Freedom of Speech • HOWEVER • U.S. SUPREME COURT REQUIRES THAT SCHOOLS ACTIONS IN RESTRICTING STUDENTS’ RIGHTS BE RELATED TO REASONABLE PEDIGOGICAL CONCERNS

27. STUDENT RIGHTS IN SCHOOLS • BETHEL SCHOOL DISTRICT #403 V FRASER • Schools and prohibit vulgar language and offensive terms in public discourse (Candidate for Graduation Speaker) • NEW JERSEY VS TLO • Schools can make rules for the administration of the school (US Supreme Court) (Marijuana Dealer)

28. Influence of the Community • Community Protective Factors • Healthy communities have financial support • Access to community services & activities • Good community involvement • Community Domain Risk Factors • Disadvantaged or disorganized neighborhoods • Contain delinquent peer groups • Easy access to drugs and weapons

29. Full-Service Community Schools • Open seven days a week • Open to students, families and community members • Addresses educational, physical and mental health needs • Financed through the partnership of the school system and one or more community agencies

30. Full-Service Community Schools • All (students, families, teachers, college students and faculty, businesses) work together to implement a plan for transforming school into child-centered institution • Health Services: immunizations or dentistry may be provided