Wildings of Adolescents
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There has been a dramatic increase in violent crime among youth in recent years. Random, unprovoked attacks by adolescents, known as "wildings," have become increasingly common in large urban centers such as New York. In addition, there has been a rise in the number of young people who kill. According to FBI statistics, the arrests of murderers under the age of eighteen increased by more than 20 percent during the 1980's, even though the population of American teens decreased by 2 percent during the same period (Toufexis, 1989, p. 52). Killings by young people are often brutal and compassionless. In addition, the murders are often committed over trivial things, "like a pair of sneakers, a fancy shirt, or a bit of loose change" (Kramer, 1988, p. 7). Reported incidents have included such situations as drive-by shootings, shootings of friends, and disputes over girl-friends (Witkin, 1991, pp. 26-27). A murder in cold-blood, with no apparent motive, was committed by a 16-year-old boy who drove more than 100 miles from his home to where he shot a woman he had never met before. In explaining his actions to the police, the boy said that he "just wanted to get away and kill somebody" (Toufexis, 1989, p. 52). It is not just inner-city or troubled youth who commit murders. For example, a 16-year-old boy in Denver charged with murder was an honors student in high school (Toufexis, 1989, p. 52). In recent years, the children who commit murders have become increasingly younge
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he values that they need in order to become functioning members of society. However, problems of neglect may arise if the parents are divorced or if both parents are working. As a result of such situations, "children do not get the nurturing, guidance or supervision necessary to instill a set of values and a proper code of behavior" (Toufexis, 1989, p. 54). It has been noted that a dysfunctional family is a much stronger indicator of youth violence than poverty. According to Kramer (1988), "the origins of crime are not economic but personal, to be found in the patterns of child-rearing that foster such traits as resentment and impulsivity." (p. 216).
Studies have shown that there is a correlation between abuse in childhood and a life of crime (Peirce, 1988, p. 9). Researchers have indicated that there is a generational pattern in violent behavior. Thus, when a parent abuses a child, that child tends to carry out the pattern of abuse in other ways. Child abuse may contribute to youth murders by causing physiological damage. In this regard, it has been noted that "violent youths frequently have neurological problems and learning disorders, many of which result from brain injuries inflicted in beatings by parents and others
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Approximate Word count = 1719
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)
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