Violent Juvenile Offenders

Violent juvenile offenders are those who have been convicted of a violent act against a person, and who has a prior adjudication of a similar offense, or a youth who had been convicted of murder. Offenses of violent juvenile offenders include aggravated assault, sexual assault, robbery, and murder. Serious violence also includes a lifestyle of drugs, guns, sex, and other risky behaviors (Hess & Drowns, 2004).

Violent juvenile offenders have a difficult time having normal relationships. They have frequent outbursts, do not do well in school academically and buddy up with peers who have the same problems. Children who commit crimes prior to age 13 generally commit more serious crimes later. They usually display a pattern of violence through their childhood. Some believe that children can be identified as being at-risk as early as the age of three (Hess & Drowns, 2004).

There are many known factors that contribute to identifying at-risk youth. These factors alone can make serious impact on a child's life and if they have a combination of these factors, they are more at-risk and in order to rehabilitate them, we need to identify and appropriately address the situation in order to prevent violence.

The risk factors are labeled according to influences. The prenatal risk factor is the result of a child being born with a low birth weight or was extremely stressed out during the pregnancy. Biology and genetic's can also be a contributor to risk. If a child has cognitive deficiencies such as having difficulties with problem solving skills or poor mental ability which is a child who has a low IQ, their verbal ability and school performances is poor, and they display poor attitudes toward school.

More risk factors include low income; Children who live in poverty stricken neighborhoods that have no citizen involvement, high unemployment rates, and are crime stricken are proven to be a risk factor. In addition, psychological disorders; A child who is anti-social or have hyperactivity disorders, a child who is "hanging out" with peers who display anti-social behavior, are doing drugs, or are involved in gang activities are all factors.

These indications also include abuse of an animal abuse; Children who abuse animals are likely to abuse humans later. Animals are much like humans in that they feel fear, pain, and anxiety (Youth,n.d.).

There are also situational circumstances that can lead to violence among youths. Situations such as provoking, taunting, bullying, and demeaning interactions with peers could lead a child to react with violence. Another situational circumstance is a child being a witness to a crime or being a victim of crime themselves (Youth, n.d.).

Home life can also contribute to a child becoming an offender. For children who are ten years old and under, violence is a learned skill that the children acquire through experiencing or seeing violence from their own home or surrounding environment. Contributing factors of home life are:

Conflict- Hostility between parents, Uncaring Parents- Parents who are not involved with their children, Neglect- Parents who do not nurture, feed, or provide adequate care for their children, Lack of supervision- Parents who do not monitor their children's activities, Discipline- Not properly disciplining them, or not disciplining them at all,

Exposure to Inappropriate Materials -Violence on television, game consoles, or pornography. Broken Homes-Parents who are separated or divorced and the child is lacking a parental figure. Parental crime - Parents who are themselves criminals or are involved in criminal activities(Youth, n.d.).

Identifying risk factors and taking proactive measures to get the children the help they need is most important. The children who are left behind, or looked over, often end up in the Juvenile Justice System. They will then take the appropriate measures to rehabilitate the child.