JUVENILE JUSTICE Chapter 4

1. JUVENILE JUSTICEChapter 4 Neglected, Abused, Victimized and Missing Children

2. Maltreatment of Children • Maltreatment: • Neglect • Medical Neglect • Physical Abuse • Sexual Abuse • Psychological Maltreatment • Increased risk of poor academic performance • Displaying symptoms of mental illness • Girls are at higher risk of: • Teen pregnancy • Drug Use • Engaging in serious and violent delinquent acts • 1/12 Violent crime victims is below the age of 12

3. Maltreatment of Children • Research found that there is a strong relationship between child maltreatment and adult criminality and violent behavior • Violent or sexual victimization of children often lead to intergenerational cycle of violence and abuse • 3 million referrals regarding 5 million children were made to CPS agencies in 2001 • 903,000 children found to be maltreated • 1,300 children died as a result of abuse or neglect • Review 4.1 Defining child maltreatment and its severity on Page 108

4. Neglected Children • Neglect is defined as • Inattention to basic needs, including the lack of supervision, adequate clothing and proper nutrition • Usually come from poor & disorganized families that have death, divorce or desertion of parents • No set routine for family activity • Children roam the streets at all hours • Continuous involvement in FC for loitering or curfew violations

5. Neglected Children Broken Homes deprived children of: • Affection • Recognition • Sense of belonging • Children may lose respect for ethical or moral values • Develop aggressive attitudes • Parents spend very little time with children • Children may act-out to gain attention

6. Neglected Children • Physical Indicators of Neglect • Frequent Hunger • Poor Hygiene • Inappropriate Dress • Consistent Lack of Supervision • Unattended Physical or Medical Needs • Abandonment

7. Neglected Children • Behavioral Indicators of Neglect • Begging for or stealing food • Arriving too early or leaving late from school • Constant Fatigue • Listlessness or falling asleep in school • Alcohol and/or drug abuse • Delinquency • Stealing • Reporting that no one is home to care for them

8. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • Historical Roots of Abuse • Infants killed as a form of birth control • Retarded or deformed children killed • Ancient Greece: Father has absolute power over child • Ancient Roman: Father has power of life or death over children. He could kill, mutilate, sell or offer as sacrifice • Industrial Revolution: Children worked as many as 16 hours a day with leg irons to keep them from running away • Parents permitted to beat children as a way of discipline • Extreme physical punishment seen as necessary

9. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • Child Protection Service founded in 1875 • Social Security Act in 1925 authorized public funds for children • X-ray technology allows doctors to detect patterns of abuse in children in the 1940’s • 1964 states begin to enact mandatory child abuse laws • 1966 all 50 states have mandatory child abuse laws

10. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • Child abuse and neglect laws have 3 components: • Criminal definitions and penalties • A Mandate to report suspected cases • Civil process to remove child from abusive and/or neglectful environment • Federal Laws: Parents have a right to use physical punishment as long as it is reasonable • State Laws: What is reasonable varies from state to state, from judge to judge and jury to jury

11. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • Causes of Abuse • Generational • Other characteristics include low income, social isolation, parental expectations • Two leading causes include Domestic Violence & Poverty • Seesaw Model: • Functional Family: Resources and Stressors Balanced • Nonfunctional Family: Unbalanced Resources and Stressors. Stressors tend to be overwhelming

12. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • American Medical Association identified children at risk for abuse • Premature birth • Birth of child to adolescent parents • Colic • Congenital defects or abnormalities • Hospitalization of infant due to lack of parental contact • Condition that interferes with parent-child bonding

13. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • Physical Indicators of Physical Abuse • Unexplained Bruises, Burns, Fractures, Lacerations and Abrations • Behavioral Indicators of Physical Abuse • Wary of Adults • Apprehension when other children cry • Extreme aggressive or extreme withdrawal • Frighten of parents • Afraid to go home

14. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • Physical Indicators of Emotional Abuse • Speech Disorders • Lags in physical development • General failure to thrive • Behavioral Indicators of Emotional Abuse • Sucking • Biting • Rocking Back and Forth • Antisocial or Destructive Behavior • Others include sleep disorders, inhibitions in play, obsessions, compulsions, hypochondria, attempted suicide

15. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • Child Abuse is the biggest single cause of child death, which is usually caused by parent or caretaker • Maximalist Alarmist Perspective • Earlier generations were reluctant to recognize that child abuse was escalating and must face the facts that child abuse is occurring in record numbers • Minimalist Skeptical Perspective: • Large numbers of abuse cases are mistaken allegations mixed with true allegations which makes the appearance of child abuse seem bigger than it actually is.

16. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • THREE LEVELS ABUSE • Collective Abuse • Seen in poverty and other forms of social injustice • Ex. Millions of children live in poverty: not enough food, dirty drinking water, live in rat infested or lead exposed housing • Violence on TV • Pornography • Illegal child labor • Hazardous working conditions

17. Physically or Emotionally Abused Children • Institutional Abuse • Occurs in institutions that allow physical force or violence against children in institutions such as schools, detention centers, training schools • Individual Abuse • Physical or sexual abuse by one or more people, usually parents, other family members or individuals

18. CHILD ABUSE AND DELINQUENCY • Child Abuse is directly linked with delinquency • Delinquent children are usually imitating behaviors of parents or other family members • Some children are taught by family members to commit crimes • Strong relationship between abuse and delinquent behaviors • Early childhood maltreatment showed little effect on later delinquent behaviors • Early childhood, early adolescent and a late adolescent maltreatment were linked to both delinquent and drug using behaviors

19. Sexually Harassed or Abused Children • Happens often in school, as early as elementary • 4/5 (81%) students experienced some type of sexual harassment in school • Each year over 100,000 cases of child sex abuse is reported. • HOWEVER, it is reported than 90% of sexual abuse is not reported

20. Sexually Harassed or Abused Children • Classification of Sex Abuse • Intrafamilial Sexual Abuse is abuse by parent(s) or other family member • Extrafamilial Sexual Abuse is is abuse by friend or stranger • Sex abuse by babysitters small (4.2%) but occurr twice as much as physical abuse • Sex Abuse by Catholic Clergy

21. Sexually Harassed or Abused Children • PHYSICAL INDICATORS OF SEX ABUSE • Venereal disease (HIV/AIDS/STDS) • Pregnancy • BEHAVIORAL INDICATORS OF SEX ABUSE • Unwillingness to change clothes • Withdrawn • Fantasy or infantile behavior • Bizarre sexual behaviors • Sexual sophistication beyond one’s age • Poor peer relations • Delinquent Behaviors • Runaway Behavior • Reports of being sexually abused

22. Sexually Harassed or Abused Children • Consequences of Sexual Abuse • Guilt • Shame • Delinquent Behavior • Depression • Anger Low Self Esteem • Need to please others • High Absenteeism • Lower Grades • Low participation in activities • Becomes a dependent of the Family Court

23. SEXUAL ABUSE AND THE INTERNET • In a study of 1,501 youths, ages 10 -17 • 1/5 Children receive a sexual solicitation over the internet • 1/4 children had unwanted exposure to naked people or people having sex over the internet • 3 % received aggressive solicitation involving offline contact or attempts for contact • 1998 Federal Child protection and Sexual Predator Punishment Act imposes tough penalties to persons who commit sex crimes against children, especially those who use the internet

24. CULTURAL VALUES AND SEXUAL ABUSE • Cultural Values Play a role in determining what constitutes sexual abuse. • Some accepted as normal in one culture, but considered as sex abuse in another • Female Circumcision or Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is considered a rite of passage in some African countries • 16,000 U.S. immigrants have submitted to FGM • Polygamy involving teenage girls

25. CREDIBILITY OF SEXUAL ABUSE • Divorce Issues regarding allegations of sexual abuse • Making a child lie about sexual abuse is abuse • Although rare, false allegations do occur (14%)

26. CHILDREN AND YOUTHS AS VICTIMS OF CRIMES AND VIOLENCE • 1/6 Youth ages 12 – 17 have been victims of property crimes • African American juveniles are over-represented • Youth are twice as like to be victimized than those over age 25 • Majority of youth that were assaulted tended to engage in risky behaviors, and delinquent and/or aggressive acts

27. CHILDREN AND YOUTHS AS VICTIMS OF CRIMES AND VIOLENCE Victims were prone to: • Engage in illicit activities that caused conflict • Associate with delinquent friends who had poor social or problem-solving skills • Victimized other delinquents • Had little recourse to legal means of conflict resolution

28. WITNESSING VIOLENCE • Delinquency is related not only to experienced victimization, but to: • Vicarious strain which refers to real-life strains experienced by others around the individual • Anticipated Strain, which refers to the individual’s expectation that current strains will continue into the future or that new strains will be experienced • There is a strong relationship between youth exposed to violence through direct victimization, witnessing violence and association with delinquent peers

29. WITNESSING VIOLENCE • There is a link between victimization and avoidance as a coping strategy • Domestic violence found to exist in 20-40% of families of chronically violent adolescents • Child abuse present in 30-70% of families where there is spouse abuse • 30-60% overlap between violence between children and violence against women in the same families. • Children who witness domestic violence experince higher levels of behavioral, social and emotional problems.

30. WITNESSING VIOLENCE • Violence is learned behavior that is self-perpetuating • Adults teach youth that those who are bigger and stronger may force their wishes upon others who are smaller

31. Missing and Exploited Children • National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Throwaway Children in America (NISMART) defines a missing child in two ways: • Those missing from their caretakers (caretaker missing) 1,315,600 • Those missing from their caretakers and reported to an agency for help to locate them (reported missing) 797,500

32. Missing and Exploited Children • Runaway/Throwaway: • Occurs when child leaves home without permission and stays away overnight • Child 14 years old or younger chooses not to return home when told to and stays away overnight • Child 15 years or older chooses to stay away more than two nights • Usually children who cannot cope with relationship in family • Many are depressed, insecure, unhappy with low self-esteem • Typically report conflict with parents • Many become street wise

33. Missing and Exploited Children • Throwaway incident occurs when child is asked or told to leave home by a parent or other household adult • Non-family Abduction occurs when non-family perpetrator takes a child by the use of physical force or threat of bodily harm or detains a child for an hour • Stereotypical Kidnapping occurs when a stranger or slight acquaintance detains a child without permission for overnight, transported 50 miles or more, held for ransom or killed. • Family Abduction occurs when a TRO or custody order is in place.

34. Missing and Exploited Children • SIX PROFILES OF PARENTS AT RISK FOR ABDUCTING THEIR CHILDREN: • Prior threat or actual abduction • Parent suspects or believe abuse has occurred and friends and family members support these concerns • Parent is paranoid or delusional • Parent is a severe sociopath • Parent is from another country in a mixed cultural marriage • Parent feels alienated from legal system and have family support in another community

35. Missing and Exploited Children • Department of Health and Human Services through its Administration for Children, Youth and Families (ACYF) and the Justice Department through its Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) have concurrent jurisdiction for missing and exploited children • ACYF focuses on social welfare, emergency care of missing children • OJJDP focuses on the challenges that missing children present to law enforcement and JJS.

36. YOUTHS AND SUICIDE • Signs and symptoms of suicide include: • Irritability or anger; • Continuous feelings of hopelessness or sadness; • Social withdrawal; • Increased sensitivity to rejection; • Changes in appetite (either increased or decreased) • Sleeplessness or Excessive sleep • Vocal Outburst or crying • Physical complaints • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt • Impaired thinking • Thoughts of Suicide

37. YOUTHS AND SUICIDE • Suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens with 500,000 attempts and 5,000 completions • Warning Signs include: • Threats to kill one’s self • Preparing for death • Giving away favorite possessions • Writing good-bye ‘ • Talking as if no one cares