4 Troubled Teens Blog

Freddy Krueger isn't just a character in a movie. It's also the nickname of a Las Vegas inmate who participates in a Scared Straight program for troubled teens.

"The burly, bald criminal with the intense stare seems to enjoy frightening troubled youngsters, many of whom have been forced by court order to visit him, with graphic tales of the very unpleasant things he'll do to them if they ever end up near him in grown-up jail."

While the threats may be exaggerated for dramatic effect, it doesn't detract from the very real, and grim, picture that's painted of life behind bars. Many parents consider it their last best shot at keeping their kids from living lives of crime. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal

Labels: juvenile_crime, role_models, criminals

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Homeboy Industries is a Southern California referral service, but its clients are a little out of the ordinary - many are gang or ex-gang members.

"When Latino gang members complained they couldn't get hired because of their criminal records, Boyle put them to work doing odd jobs around Dolores Mission. But there were more out-of-work gang members than jobs, so when a nearby bakery warehouse went up for sale, Homeboy Industries was launched."

Homeboy Industries now includes five businesses and employs more than 150 junior staffers - all former gang members and other at-risk youth. One of their many success stories is of a female former gang leader who was first hired as an office assistant, but later became the director of volunteers for Oakland's mayor. Source: Oakland Tribune

Learn more about juvenile crime at AboutJuvenileDeliquents.com.

Labels: juvenile_crime, delinquents, criminals

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More than one-third of children ages 10-18 in a new study report that they bully their friends "at moderate levels." However, over 40% told researchers from Queen's and York University they never bully anyone.

Researchers studying over 870 children found that bullying seems to drop off as children get into high school. Less than 10% admitted to "consistently high levels of bullying from elementary to the end of high school." The majority stopped when they entered high school.

Psychology professor Wendy Craig, lead author of the study, found that young bullies had conflicts with their parents and peers, and lacked a sense of right and wrong. They tended to pick friends who were bullies, too.

Dr. Craig and her colleagues are trying to design programs for this small, high-risk group, in order to prevent "a career path of bullying that leads to numerous criminal and relationship problems in adolescence and adulthood."

This study appears in the journal Child Development.

A private boarding school may offer the kind of structured environment a bully, or a victim of bullying, needs. Find one at Boarding Schools Info.

Labels: relationships, bullying, criminals

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The city of Asheville, N.C., has hired two investigators to focus exclusively on the city's gang activity. The decision was made last year after the city determined that there were at least six gangs operating in the area.

"The investigators work with patrol officers, corrections officials, other law enforcement and citizens to identify gang members and prevent them from committing crime... Their goal is to concentrate on the law enforcement side of the gang problem, depending on the community to report criminal activity, and reach out to troubled youths."

The investigators, who were hired in January 2008, have already identified 20 gangs in the area, though the number fluctuates. While teens make up most of the gangs, investigators have also found motorcycle gangs and white supremacists groups. Read more at Citizen-Times.com.

Labels: gangs, juvenile_crime, criminals

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Having a childhood mental disorder, especially hyperactivity, conduct and substance abuse disorders, puts a person more at risk for adult criminality, according to a study from Duke University's Center for Developmental Epidemiology.

Social scientists at the Center interviewed and tested children at ages 9 and 10, and again at ages 11 and 13, and then reassessed them every year until they were 16 years old. About one-third of these children met the criteria for at least one childhood mental disorder at any of the three assessment points.

By the time the children had become young adults (ages 16 to 21 years), about a third had been arrested. Among this group, about one-half had been diagnosed with mental disorders during those earlier assessments. Children with disruptive behavior disorders and substance abuse disorders were more likely to get into trouble with the law later on, especially those with emotional disorders comorbid with substance abuse.

The researchers were quick to point out that their results mean only that a large percentage of young adults who get arrested had a mental disorder at some point in their adolescence. It does not mean that most youths with mental disorders will be arrested. However, the study may have implications for the necessity to treat children with mental disorders.

This study appears in the November issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Think a military school can help your struggling teenager turn their life around? Learn about military schools at www.militaryschoolalternatives.com.

Labels: behavioral_issues, influences, criminals

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In Leesburg, Florida and the surrounding communities, a movement has started to make mentors available to some of the more vulnerable teens in the area. Inspiration for the mentoring program came after three young men were arrested for shooting at police deputies outside the 22nd National Conference on Preventing Crime in the Black Community.

"At breakfast this week in Leesburg, [Pernell] Mitchell encouraged potential mentors not to let their pasts hinder them from helping children. Some group members have overcome criminal histories and turned their lives around for the better."

The Leesburg mentoring chapter is part of a nationwide organization called 100 Black Men of America, which was founded in 1963 to make positive changes in the community. The national group has, to date, mentored over 100,000 young people.

Labels: mentoring, criminals, hope

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The Poconos, in Northern Pennsylvania, has experienced a surge in crimes committed by young people. Between 1990 and 2005, the number of new criminal cases against adolescents increased from 176 to 640 - all of them first-time offenders.

"'Gang activity is on the rise. It is here, and we will be dealing with it for many years,' [Monroe County's Chief Probation Officer Steve] Houloose said. His office has worked with Pocono kids who are admitted members of the Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings and various branches of those gangs."

Houloose and others point to a lack of parental supervision - caused by long commutes which force parents to leave early in the morning and not return until late at night, and an influx of kids from urban communities who struggle to find appropriate activities to keep them busy. Read more at PoconoRecord.com.

Find parenting tips and help for parents of troubled teens at ByParents-ForParents.com.

Labels: parental_involvement, gangs, criminals

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Students from Clinton Middle School in Utica, New York, recently spent two weeks learning about the law and criminal behavior. The students also sat in on court room proceedings in Onieda County Criminal Court. They were then asked to give their opinions on why some young people turn to crime.

"The path to criminal behavior might begin with a bad childhood. If a child is raised in a community that is poor and the only people there to look up to are drug dealers or criminals, this sets an image for the child."

Most of the students agreed that an abusive or neglectful home life and poverty are two possible causes. They also agreed that it's important to get those kids away from abusive or neglectful parents, or have the parents seek counseling, and help them get the education and resources they need for a better life. Read more at UticaOD.com.

Adolescent substance abuse is a serious matter that can affect an entire family. Learn how you can help at DrugRehabTreatment.com.

Labels: parental_involvement, influences, criminals

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Cape Coral, Florida has a unique approach to dealing with young people who break the law. If convicted of a crime, the youth get probation and other punishments, but they also get regular visits from a member of the J-CRIME unit: Juvenile Crime Reduction Initiative through Mentoring Monitoring and Enforcement.

“J-CRIME is composed of a group of 12 officers that conduct checks on juveniles to make sure they’re following the terms of their probation… Sergeant Joseph Zalenski of the Cape Coral Police Department explained, ‘The officer isn’t just there to enforce the law, they’re trying to become a role model.’” [Source: WZVN (FL)]

Youth crime has decreased since the start of the program, and law enforcement officials hope the trend will continue.

Labels: mentoring, criminals

Posted By: Troubled Teens 1 Comment

A new program in Memphis aims to keep track of teenagers convicted of gun-related crimes. It’s a step up from previous programs that handed down probation sentences which didn’t do much to deter future illegal behavior.

Police Director Larry Godwin says many of the 150 minors arrested with guns last year were allowed to return home on probation. He says the result is, they don’t fear the system.

The new initiative allows police and court officials to supervise the teen for one year through an ankle bracelet. But unlike some other tracking devices, these would keep a record of everywhere the detainee goes. [Source: Memphis Commercial Appeal]

The Memphis program is part of a $2 million, nationwide effort to reduce violent crime by electronically tracking the perpetrators.

Labels: prevention, criminals

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 0 Comments

On August 26, Ohio teenagers who had successfully turned their lives around had the chance to have their criminal records sealed at an event being held in Akron.

"When people have been rehabilitated, I think they’ve earned the reward of having their record sealed," said Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio. [Source: WKYC-TV]

Violent and sexual crimes were excluded from this event, as those records cannot be sealed. Operation Fresh Start was modeled after a program for adults that invites people with arrest warrants to surrender peacefully.
 

Labels: criminals

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment