Essay on Juvenile Runaways in the United States - 1144 Words

Juvenile Runaways in the United States Running away from home is one of the commonest juvenile offenses in America today. Children run to escape, to hide, to start a new life, to change their routine, or to follow a dream. There are 1.3 million juveniles that live on the street each day according to the National Runaway Switchboard (NRS). The statistics regarding the rates of juveniles in this country that runaway are surprising. Unfortunately with all of the children out on the street our system is not doing much to combat the problem. In most states running away is not illegal, which leaves law enforcement with few options when attempting to locate or recover a missing runaway child. It has been said that, young people†¦show more content†¦Family conflict over sexual identity is one reason some of these youths leave home (Smart, 1991), and some youths are thrown out by their families. Unfortunately what can almost be expected is that runaway youths often have histories of substance abuse from prior to their run. Out on the street especially, intravenous drug use can be a serious risk for contracting HIV if clean needles are not used. When poor grades, conflict with school officials, parental censure, and various personal problems, such as depression and substance abuse, combine to create a sense of extreme discomfort for adolescents, many youths will run away (Tuohy, 1993). Our problem in this country is not that teenagers run away by the tens of thousands, but that they have no place to run when they do. When a youth runs away from his or her legal guardians, the police frequently encounter them. Generally, the police officer will take the runaway to the station, notify the childs parents, and refer the family to a social worker. The law enforcement officers do not generally take the time to ask the child why he or she ran to see if there is a better solution to the problem. Most of the social service agencies are too large to provide adequate individualized careShow MoreRelatedRunaway Juveniles Are Not A Serious Problem821 Words   |  4 Pagesrun away from home in the United States (Sanchez, Waller, Greene, 2006; Tyler Bersani, 2008). Most runaways rarely stay away from home for long periods and stay within 50 miles of home (Hammer, Finkelhor, Sedlak, 2002). Although runaway juveniles are not a serious problem (Kim, 2006) and eventually retur n to parents or guardian (Milburn et al., 2007), they are victimized and exposed in deteriorate circumstances while away. There were many problems for runaway juveniles, in spite of returning afterRead MoreWhat Are Five Major Court Cases That Influenced Our Treatment Of Juveniles Today?1203 Words   |  5 PagesAssignment 4.1 – Juvenile Court Process What are five major court cases that influenced our treatment of juveniles today? For each case, briefly state how the case has made an impact. Five major court cases that influenced our treatment of juveniles today include Kent v. United States (1966), In re Gault (1967), In re Winship (1970), McKeiver v. Pennsylvania (1971) and Breen v. Jones (1975). Kent v. United States (1966) set the standards for transfers. 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As of today, an individual under the age of 18 can be categorized as a delinquent juvenile based on their behavior. The majority of states consider that someoneRead MoreHuman Trafficking : The United States1250 Words   |  5 Pageshuman trafficking? Most of us probably think of human trafficking as being an issue that poor countries just have but, that isn’t the case. Human trafficking is alive and sadly thriving in the United States. According to Trafficking Source Center, 5,544 cases of human trafficking were reported in the Uni ted States in 2015. 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If they are growing up in poverty or suffering from abuse, their delinquent behavior are often leads to self-destruction. Female juveniles will most likely grow up to join street gangs, drop out of school, or become teenage mothers. Girls are the fastest growing segment of the juvenile justice system with minority females disproportionately represented among delinquent girls; two-thirds are girls of color. The majority have been subjected to some