Critical Criminal Justice Issues

Strong evidence links early problem behavior to later adolescent delinquency and serious adult criminality. Many children in the United States are lacking fundamental elements essential for human development. These children are legally entitled, but have no access, to safe shelter, adequate food, basic health care, and sufficient preparation to become economically viable adults. The absence of these resources has been linked to abnormal development, economically and socially marginal existence, and persistent criminality. Children whose parents are criminals have a high probability of becoming delinquents. Those identified in court as abused or neglected by their parents are more likely than other children to become delinquent. Offenders whose parents were also criminals have a high probability of being high-rate predatory criminals. However, whether or not their parents have criminal histories, children raised by mothers or fathers with good parenting skills are less likely to become delinquents or serious offenders. Inmates who assume responsible family roles after they are released are less likely to recidivate than offenders without family ties. The vast majority of delinquents and criminals eventually "mature out" of crime; assumption of family responsibilities can be a key factor in this process. Research documents the effectiveness of early prevention and intervention in forestalling these outcomes. Waiting until the mid-to-late teenage years to intervene in persistent delinquency ensures that the battle will be difficult, if not impossible. The current focus on older juveniles is at best a stopgap measure; it ignores younger children, who, in the absence of early prevention/intervention, will soon follow the same nonproductive path as their teenage role models. Research also suggests that early childhood programs cost relatively little compared to the costs associated with the problems they prevent later, such as drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, special education requirements, or institutionalization.