3 Ways Parents Can Create Criminals / Offenders.
Most of the time, it starts in the home.
Families are a treasured asset, they really are. An amazing support system that we all need.
I'm super grateful for my family, and parents for their support, I regard myself extremely lucky.
However, not everyone has that, especially when we're talking about those being bars.
Why is this important?
It almost always start with the families, don't just take my word for it. According to the Prison Reform Trust.
“High numbers had truanted and experienced parental neglect or untimely bereavement”. Says the trust.
3 Core Reasons on How Families Can Be the Cause of Young People Being Put Behind Bars.
According to my research and study.
There were actually tons of reason, but these were the main 3 that I feel I should cover.
Reason #1 Neglect, Plain and Simple
When a child is neglected of their mental, emotional and physical needs, it can cause tons of issues. Particularly when they become young adults.
Why? Because they lack positive mentorship and direction onto what is right or wrong. This lack of judgement, makes them susceptible to gang culture and other sources of influence which are negative.
The need to feel belonged is real, to obtain this they can look for other sources which might not be in their best interest.
Reasons #2 Not Maintaining the Bond.
I mention this because, children often rely on their families whether or not they're imprisoned.
According to the Ministry Of Justice
“Those in custody feel they have strong family ties and want their families to be involved in their lives. Maintaining family relationships may help prevent reoffending”.
This is says bold and clear that families can be very much involved in the intervention process, regardless of whether they are youngsters or adults.
This is because it helps the youth and children feel valued, or else they might just say ,
well, no cares about me anyway, so i might as well be stuck here in this cell.
This is because they feel that none cares, it just gives them another reason to reoffend.
Maintaining the bond can mean something as simple as:
- A phone call
- A messaged passed on
Actions like might seem small to us, but for a child in custody, it means the world to them.
Which is why it's important that families cooperate to help their child develop whilst in and out of custody.
Reason #3: Your Own Issues, That Can Affect Them.
Yes, parents have their own issues, which then spills on to them.
In fact, another point made by the Ministry Of Justice
“Many prisoners had experienced abuse (29%) or observed violence in the home (41%) as a child — particularly those who stated that they had a family member with an alcohol or drug problem.
To be honest, this makes complete sense, because children and young people soak in everything from their environment, whether good or bad.
What I would say, parents seriously need to understand the impact that they're having on their kids and be mindful of their actions.
If not, they're not a real parent, full stop.
Before having children, just make sure you're in a good position, mentally, physically, emotionally. Focus on yourself, and you'll become an amazing example for your children and generally everyone around you.
What’s Needs To Change.
Intervention is the answer and focusing on the root cause.
Families need to get the support that they need, before it gets to the stage where they get desperate.
Finances are one of the biggest problems which causes friction between families and children get affects as a result.
Intervention basically means, stopping a situation before it becomes a real problem.
Some examples of intervention can include.
- Financial aid.
- Childcare allowance.
- Support for domestic abuse.
- Resources of drug and alcohol addictions.
- Free mental health lines 24/7
I mention these because they are often the root cause of children and youth disturbances. If these issues aren't fixed in the home, it just increases the likelihood for abuse to take place which affect children.
When a family faces a concern, resources need to be there at the ready for them to access. So many issues can be avoided ahead of time.
Families also need to be aware that resources actually exist, which is where adverts and campaigns come in handy.
Possibly targeted towards regions that are most vulnerable to such issue.
So please seek the support if you need it, your children will thank you for it.
Closing Notes
Youth criminality can come from a plethora of reasons, from metal health issues to financial problems.
With all that said, according to my research, families are one of the first and most common causes.
It makes sense since kids spend so much of their initially years with their families and that's the age when they're receptive to their surroundings.
I hope you learnt something from this article, and i’d love to know your thoughts in the responses.
References
Prison Reform Trust
A healthy approach to children and young people in trouble