Even though there are some differences
between researchers on the exact issues that mold a child to become a juvenile
delinquent, surely they all agree on one thing—there is a broken
relationship somewhere. That relationship could be with the mother, father, or
any other family member. Somewhere in the family unit that child is broken (Mack et al., 2006 p
51). One underlying concern that researchers have is how to define
single-parent homes. When you really look at it you can be a single-parent by
choice (no marriage), you can be a single-parent because of divorce, or you can be a single-parent
due to death. What defines a single-parent? They all could.
Of
course, single-parenting presents challenges of its own, but that does not mean that
every single-parent household is going to raise a juvenile delinquent.
According to Mack et al, 2006, one of the most important theoretical
perspectives is the bond that exists between the parent and the child. In other
words, no matter whether there are one or two parents, if they are connecting
the chances of the child turning into a juvenile delinquent are slim. There has to be an emotional attachment in order for that connection to be strong. Even
though parenting in a single-parent household is more difficult to keep track
of everything that is going on in the child’s life and there are different
kinds of bonds between the child and each of their parents, it does not mean
that they will become criminals especially if there is a bond between the parent and child.
Parenting
is a rewarding but difficult job. It is rewarding because you get to enjoy all the seasons of their lives, ups and downs. It is becomes more difficult when crisis hits the
home. Crisis like divorce, death, economic sustainability or any kind of
disruption can throw the child into an endless spiral of anxiety or emotional
distress. When you add domestic violence, drugs and any kind of abuse then that creates “acting out” in children or anti-social behaviors that can lead to
delinquent activities.
Just
like the story of Cristian Fernandez, a 13 year old that killed his 2 year old
half sibling and sexually assaulted his 5 year old other half brother. His story was that of
abuse from the moment he was conceived. Please take the time to read the
article on the top of this blog and watch the video. This young boy did not have a chance to even begin to flourish. At this age did Cristian Fernandez even know the gravity of his actions?
References:
Mack, K. Y., Leiber, M. J., Featherstone, R. A.,
& Monserud, M. A. (2007). Reassessing the
Family-Delinquency Association: Do Family Type, Family Processes, and Economic Factors Make a Difference?. Journal
Of Criminal Justice, 35(1), 51-67. doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2006.11.015
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