Juvenile Delinquency In After School Programs

Words: 419
Pages: 2

Many children grow up among poverty, violence, and despair. They see their families, friends, and communities suffering from the effects of alcoholism, unemployment, jail/prison, or a lack of educational opportunities. Many adolescents are tough and manage to succeed despite negative surroundings. Providing adolescents with the opportunity to develop positive behaviors is the foundation of most educational programs such as those offered in after-school programs. Taylor & Fritsch (2207) define juvenile delinquency as the violation of a law of the states committed by a person prior to his eighteenth birthday which would have been a crime if committed by an adult.2 Delinquent acts may include crimes against individuals, crimes against property, …show more content…
These provide immediate benefits of recreational activities in that they fill up unsupervised after-school hours, mainly during while parents are still working. After school programs may include such activities as sports, dancing, music, drama, art, and swim. Yoshikawa (1995) reviewed 40 programs and found that early childhood education and family support programs can have long-term positive effects on the prevention of delinquency.3 Students are branded as potential dropouts when they are retained in grade, have a high absentee rate, and exhibit failing grades. Juveniles enrolled in afterschool programs may report higher grades in one or more classes; display improved attendance and grades; improve their relationships with family members; learn new skills and possibly develop a new hobby. Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority noted that a deficit in education is associated with many social problems, including crime.1 Rates of delinquency are higher amongst adolescents who drop out than those who stay in school and the association between dropping out and later criminal behavior has been shown to persist into early