| One need only look
at the current National Statistics on Children in the Juvenile Justice System to see that
across the nation minority youth consistently are over represented when compared to the
general population of their community.1 A number of factors come to light when looking at this problem. The Juvenile Justice System, the school system, law enforcement practices, social services and other community based organizations all factor into the problem and the solution. However, there are other factors that cannot be ignored including, poverty, substance abuse, family history of criminal behavior, child abuse, and domestic violence. Early studies show that when comparing delinquent and non-delinquent youth, a history of family violence or abuse is the most significant difference between the two groups.2 Approximately 3.3 to 10 million children annually witness their parents' violence.3 While not all children are affected by domestic violence in the same way, the impact on the child can affect all aspects of the child's behavior. "Children may become fearful, withdrawn, anxious |
and confused, suffer from disturbed sleep, difficulties at school and problems in making friends. | sons of the most violent being 1000 times more likely to become wife beaters."5 | ||
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| Adolescents may act out or
exhibit risk-taking behavior, such as drug and alcohol use, running away, prostitution,
pregnancy, or criminal behavior. Young men may try to protect their mothers or become
abusive to their mothers."4 The violent behavior learned in childhood may continue once the child is an adult. "Men who have witnessed their parents' domestic violence are three times more likely to abuse their own wives than children of non violent parents, with the |
The impact of domestic
violence goes beyond the immediate injured victim. "While many children turn to their parents for comfort from the stresses of life, children living in violent homes cannot rely upon this ultimate source of support. Domestic violence is a serious social problem that not only jeopardizes the safety of the family but also carries a social cost to society. Given the vast literature documenting the social impact of family violence on all family members we must acknowledge that the physical target is not the |
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