Policing of Marginal Youth Groups - Literature review Example

Name Tutor Title: Marginalized Youth groups Institution Date Marginalized Youth groups Introduction The beginning of the 19th century marginalized youth groups i.e. of Aboriginal descent have hence been recognized as a social problem within Canada. This has mainly occurred in the western countries. Marginalized youth groups are adolescents who come together with a common agenda or affected by a similar issue such as crime. They are mainly dominated with idleness. On the other hand criminology is a study mainly associated with the criminal conduct which reflects on both the individual and the society holistically. It critically focuses on the causes, types, and their aftermath. According to Clarke (2009), Aboriginal youth problems are mainly deep rooted from historical past situations. Apart from that it is evident that vast information about contemporary social science is a forgotten thing. The comparison between the past and the present offers a very resourceful account of the present view. Marginalized youth groups are unstable and are a potential threat to society especially when not supervised. Therefore delinquency becomes a focal point of the criminal justice avenues and police. Despite the fact that there is demand for labor in the industrial world, many youths are neither employed or undergoing an educational cycle. 1. Problem identification among Aborigines With the socio-economic mix Aboriginal youths are more likely to be victims of crime rather than the other youths. Thus this makes them rub shoulders with the police frequently. Therefore, crime is the major setback among the Aboriginal society which has to date been marginalized. Demographics show that Aboriginal youths are overrepresented in the judicial system contrary to it being norm in criminal conviction. Criminal activities come in various phases such as assault, rape, and robbery with violence asserts Hughes, ( 2002). Statistics Aboriginal young people are highly victimized of crime related incidences and are hence associated negatively with the justice system. Apart from crime they are also associated with assault, rape and robbery. They are in this way entirely affected by crime due to their high population in the Canadian justice system. The percentage of incarcerated Aborigines is six times more than the national mean. Data from correctional facilities in Canada depict that Aboriginal youths represent 2.8% of the entire Canadian population. In provinces such as Prairie 50% of them are of Australian descent i.e. Aborigines. The marginalized youth groups are relayed as major entities that constitute the criminal group. There are however various misconceptions of youth related criminal activities. Juvenile crime has so far increased in the recent past. Who is at risk here? There has been a common belief that the elderly are the affected groups but this is not the case. The affected groups are mainly between the ages of 15-24 who are mainly at risk of being victims. Integration of such youth is inevitable and policy makers in this event have to come in with viable solutions such as education, employment, opportunities, improved infrastructure, counseling and micro-credits. (Anthony & Doob, 2004) Canadian statistics depict there are 434 youth groups with 7,000 members mainly of Aboriginal descent. Male youths that are enveloped into gangs are about 94% compared to female groups. Almost 48% of the members are under the age of 18 and 39% are between the ages of 16 and 18. Aboriginal organizations show that female gang membership is escalating in British Colombia (12%), Manitoba (10%) and Saskatchewan (9%). Hence 4 out of 10 accused of homicide had record of criminal activities. More than 15% of the Aboriginal youth victims were also associated in one way or another with crime. In the recent years i.e. in 2003, 57 youths between the age of 12 and 17 were accused of either homicide or other related crimes. This was 15 greater than 2002 and 8 more than the mean of the previous 10 years. However youth homicide had decreased between 1995 and 2001. In comparison with adult homicide cases in 2003, 54% were youth related and a quarter adults (Anthony & Doob, 2004). Surveys carried out show that various issues that affect the youth groups, police and the state. Most youths among the Aborigines belong to a certain gang governed by ethnicity, masculinity and friendship. They were therefore had the desire to gain social respect and power. They hence instilled fear into the affected individuals to have respect. The young men in this event become “respectable”. Aborigine youths hence sought respect through various forms which affected their reputation in various ways. The desire for social power in this way made them to indulge in violent crime as a result of idleness. Anti-social behavior has so far reached alarming rates within the societal scale. Hence most of the societal activities such as parenting, education, youth services and other affiliated policies are governed under the ethics of preoccupation in conjunction with anti-social behavior. Anti-social behavior ranges in various activities which among them are misdemeanors, crime and incivilities. With this in mind anti-social behavior is characterized by distress to the affected party. Most of this youth gangs terrorize the neighborhoods (Crawford, 2009). 2. Factors that lead to crime Police survey carried out in Canada showed that youth gang members come from various ethnic, demographic and socio-economic contexts. Youths that are engulfed into gangs were vulnerable to social disadvantage. Hence Aboriginal youths are the most affected. Most of them either use drugs and are involved in serious crimes. Endorsement into gangs is as a result of seeking respect, prestige, protection and chance to make more money. In this event youth gangs are a growing issue in Canadian justice system (Anthony & Doob, 2004). . Social factors Melkonyan (2011), states that marginalized youth groups especially Aboriginal are vulnerable to very ill living ways of life. They are as a result a product of criminal activities in the society. Apart from that social factors that may lead to such include poor parenting. Youths who are neglected and abused in a number of ways are more likely to engage in crime. A foundation is built from a young age to maturity. Such as sexual harassment victims are more likely to become sexual hunters. With the ever changing technological trends the world is absorbing more drug and alcohol users than initially. Drugs and alcohol are very influential and luring one is a click of a finger. Drug and alcohol abuse makes one to have the urge to commit crime because it distorts a person’s judgment and decreases social regulations of one’s character. Eventually it makes one strengthen his courage. Peer pressure in the world of social exclusion and minimal inclusion is the mother of crime within marginalized youths who feel betrayed or abandoned. Surveys show that youths would prefer dropping out of school in favor of gangs. The desire to earn respect and credibility within the streets is the driving force. According to Munice (2004), Canada on the other hand easy access to crude weapons makes crime an easy thing. Firearms provide a leeway to committing crime. Statistics show that during the early 20th century firearm deaths are the highest reported. The purchase of firearms increased drastically by a threatening percentage. Economic and political factors There are various economic and political factors that lead to crime. The historical situation left many families desperate and unemployed. For example the Aborigines were denied of their native land and cultural traditions. Apart from these children are sent to board schools in which they face hardships and end up being abused. Prejudice and discrimination against them have created more problems than solutions within the current economy. Currently most of the Aborigines live in Canadian urban areas. It is depicted in census report (CCSD) that the poverty is twice more on Aborigines than the natives. Therefore, this means that most people of Aboriginal descent 80% of them live in third world conditions. This is clearly showed in the increasing number of adoption of children in child welfare system across the country which rose by 71.5% between 1995 and 2001. This change has created a feeling of isolation and disrespect to others. Alternatively the isolated individuals sought respect through using other means i.e. indulging in crime (Burney, 2005). Crime outstrips inflation and is one of the major causes of economic hardships. Apart from that political factors also play a big role in influencing criminal activities. It is therefore hypothesized that escalation in criminal gangs could be due to an impaired local governing authority. This is because the governing bodies are responsible for development within the area and police distribution. Hence data was sought in Canada to relay fear of criminal activities through actions from the politicians or governor. It revealed that the police distribution in areas dominated by Aborigines was less compared to the rest of the areas. A high unemployment rate was also realized in localities with severe crime. Places that had increased job levels hence decreased the fear of criminal gangs and their associate emphasizes Donald (2006). Furthermore recent political riots led to numerous innocent murders in places such as Canada which was due to group influence. Vulnerable youths are paid to stir up trouble which leads to assault, looting and eventually murder. Political figures flame up violence for their own selfish gains. Political campaigns have been dominated by racial differences and homophobic connotations (Hughes, 2002). Racial and gender factors Bennett (2005), asserts that gender is a critical issue especially when it comes to crime. Genders to be more precise females which are the weaker sex lure predators mainly the law enforcers who have an upper hand. Sexual offenders who are perceived to be biologically influenced with factors such as evolution, physiology, psychopathological, and substance abuse render the weaker sex vulnerable. Apart from biological factors environmental factors also increase the rate of sexual offences. Such include: attitude, sex role, sex and dynamics within a relationship. Therefore gender associated crimes are rooted upon individual offenders and culture in which dictates on different societies. This in turn affects the Aboriginal marginalized youth groups who have low literacy levels. Hate violence cause a serious to the Canadian society (Aborigines) and the police. It has been evidenced that racial and ethnic minorities have been assaulted or intimidated and ultimately murdered by either gangs or the police. 3. Initiatives to improve the well being In the early 20th century as depicted by Roberts (2005), nearly half the Aboriginal population lives in Canada. However they are not recognized within the provincial and government level. Hence their needs are not ventured into by responsible bodies. Thus the integration of the first nations endorsed in committees. In this event application of both on and off reserves was equally distributed. Emergence of Aboriginal was established to address issues that affect them. Though some challenges they have so far adopted some defensive mechanisms which help them achieve support from the federal government. For instance “Fighting the First Nation Youth” and “Two Voices” promotes eradication of crime through development of a social bulletin. Apart from that there are some federal initiatives that funds non-profitable organizations to support the marginalized youths i.e. Health Canada’s Aboriginal Head Start Urban and Northern Program. This program instills power into the marginal guardians the fundamental needs of their children. This is made possible through connection of the parents with related bodies or organizations e.g. First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada. There are calls for child welfare sectors trying to obtain assistance from father outreach. Strategies have been implemented to create father involvement during parenting of a child. Research has so far shown that healthy father involvement within the parental setting lowers the risks of joining into the gangs. It will also sure decrease incarceration and improved educational engagement. Enactment of anti-poverty strategies to make the societal system coherent will among others improve the situation. Policies that hence promote crime prevention should be governmentally spearheaded. 4. Accommodative approach Punishment is meant to discourage crime. Thus by influencing choice it mitigates the chances in indulging into criminal activities. This is made possible through making crime a difficult venture through and creation of a rapport between the police and the youth. Using high-tech security systems, increasing the number of police officers in the streets and offer more employment opportunities suggested by Bullock, (2003). Another mode of decreasing crime by Aboriginal youth groups is to increase the imprisonment period which makes one not to re-integrate into the community. Eventually reforming the educational, economic and judicial system is fundamental. Hence for one to change others one needs to change first. It is unlikely for crime to occur in reformed systems under comprehensive guidelines. Bibliography Bennett, W. (2005). Most sex offenders know their victims well, experts say . North County Times . Clarke, J. (2009). Marginalised Youth. Social Work and Society . Crawford, A. (2009). Youth Justice. Criminalizing Sociability through Anti-social behavior legislation, dispersal powers, young people and police , 1-23. Donald, M. (2006). Crime. An invetigation into the factors affecting fear of crime in a geographical area, 1-4. Burney, E. (2005). Making People Behave, Antisocial Behavior, politics Policy. Devon, Cullompton: Willan Publishing. Muncie. J. (2002). Youth Justice: Critical Readings. London: Sage. Karen Bullock, N. T. (2003). Crime reduction and problem-oriented policing. Adelaide: Willan. Melkonyan, A. (2011). Causes of Crime. Scribd , 1-3. Muncie, J. (2004). Youth and Crime (2nd edition). London: Sage. Noble, G. (2009). Journal of Intercultural Studies. Respect and Respectability amongst Second-Generation Arab and Muslim Australian Men , 28: 3, 331 — 344. Robert, L. (2005). The inclusive Society? Social Exclussion and New Labor . Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Roberts, L. (2005). Recent social trends in Canada, 1960-2000. Toronto: McGill-Queen's Press. Read More