The Family Unit's Impact on Juvenile Rehabilitation

Family problems can range from physical child abuse to relatively minor parental guidance issues. Although family history does not excuse an offender's behavior, it does help to explain it (Herbst, 2005). If an immediate family member abuses drugs, the child may in fact see that as a "normal" thing to do. Parents and older siblings are the first role models that children have and seeing the behavior of such persons profoundly shapes the juvenile. An article written by NationalCenter on Addiction and SubstanceAbuse at Columbia University, New York describes the impact that family substance abuse may have on an offender:

Like substanceabuseitself,substance-related crime can run in the family, creating a vicious spiral descending into deeper addiction and more serious illegal activity. Incarcerated adults are likely to be children of parents who were in prison; these adults are themselves the fathers and mothers of 2,500,000 offspring. Kids of jailed parents are likelier than children whose parents have not been locked up to end up in prison (Califano & Colson, 2005).

In addition to substance abuse issues, there is presence of physical and emotional abuse targeted directly at adolescents in many homes. Physical abuse may include slapping, hitting, brutal beatings, inappropriate touching and even more intrusions of the child's innocence. Emotional abuse can include name calling, rejection, and neglect, just to name a few. A parent's abuse or rejection leads to wounded emotions within the soul of each child. These wounds are the most painful and traumatic because of the source (Herbst, 2005). This type of abuse may create problems that are, emotional, social, and psychological. The child does not understand why he or she has been betrayed by a person they should have held in a position of trust. Such betrayal may create a great deal of rage in the person that continues to develop later in life. This rage may take the form of violence against others and, in effect, violation of the law.

In addition to the aforementioned, serious domestic problems, the issue of family guidance also becomes a factor involved in juvenile offending. Setting rules and parameters by the parents to govern their children's actions may seem commonplace to many. However, many children do not receive the guidance they need at very a young age. Many experts say that one of the most important things to keep in mind when setting rules is to keep them consistent. A family may start out with an 11 o'clock curfew for their teenager but when they start getting home later and later, they do not get any punishment for violating the rule. The problem that often occurs in households is trying to enforce rules only after a problem develops. A parent may only enforce a curfew after they find that the juvenile is using drugs or alcohol. This method has proven again and again to be ineffective. As the saying goes, "You can't teach an old dog, new tricks." Parental guidance must start early and often for it to continue to be effective in later years.

In addition to setting rules for adolescents, it is equally important to be involved with their everyday lives. This requires an effective parent to ask important questions. Many experts have enforced the asking of "who, what, and where" when it comes to the times when a teenager is unsupervised by the parent. It is very important for parents to know who their children socialize with, who will be supervising them, what they will be doing and where they will be. Instilling this communication routine at a fairly young age will most definitely make the process more welcoming as a teenager. Other ways for parents to be involved is to volunteer to chaperones and committee members for school and extracurricular activities. Parents must never underestimate the power of involvement because it shows how much they care. Family and household problems have repeatedly been issues in juvenile delinquency and offending, but with intervention, conditions can improve.