Juvenile Justice Chapter 4

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Juvenile JusticeChapter 4

• Neglected, Abused, Victimized and Missing
  Children and Youths

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Chapter Goals

• To know the characteristics of the homes of
  neglected children
• What risks maltreated children and youths face
• What the 3 components of child abuse and neglect
  laws typically are
• The major cause of death among children
• The 3 levels of abuse

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Chapter Goals Cont..

• Whether child abuse is linked to delinquency
• Which age group has the highest victimization
  rate
• What the most likely result of violence is for
  children
• What 2 federal agencies that have concurrent
  jurisdiction for missing and exploited children
• What the leading cause of suicide is and the
  warning signs

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Introduction

• Maltreatment of children occurs in many ways.
  Children who are weak are victimized by strong
  adults at the estimate of over 1 million cases
  per year. This figure continues to rise.
• Having a history of childhood maltreatment
  increases the risks that children will
• Engage in serious and violent delinquency
• Use drugs
• Perform poorly in school
• Display symptoms of mental illness
• For girls, become pregnant

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Mistreatment of Our Children

• In 2001, 3 million out of 5 million children were
  referred to Child Protective Services as victims
  of maltreatment
• More than 80 are abused by the parents
• Approximately 1,300 children die each year due to
  abuse or neglect
• During 2001 that was a rate of 1.81 per 100,000
  children that die

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Mistreatment of Our Children Cont.

• During the past 10 years three children die each
  day as a result of parental maltreatment
• Abuse is the most common cause of death (48)
  followed by neglect (37) and a combination of
  abuse and neglect (15)
• The majority of the children are under age 5 and
  nearly half never reach their first birthday

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Neglect Defined

• Neglect is inattention to the basic needs of the
  child such as
• Inappropriate supervision
• Inadequate clothing and proper nutrition
• The families are poor and disorganized
• The children roam the streets at all hours and
  are continually in front of a juvenile judge for
  loitering and curfew violations
• The family unit is always fragmented by death,
  divorce, and desertion

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Neglect Cont..

• Broken homes deprive children of affection,
  recognition and a sense of belonging
• There must be a strong parent to overcome this
• The parents usually ignore the child or else they
  set bad examples for them

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Punishment and Discipline

• Some parents are extreme
• They give no punishment for fear of unbalancing
  the childs emotional system
• Or they are excessive and discipline their
  children to harshly without regards for the
  transgression or the punishment
• Many parents have warped ideas, selfish attitudes
  and twisted values

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Other Forms of Neglect

• Children lack food, clothing , shelter, medical
  care, supervision, education, protection,
  economic support to gain proper mental and
  emotional health
• Many die from
• preventable accidents
• Millions go unvaccinated
• Millions are poisoned by 2nd hand cigarette smoke
• Crack cocaine and other drug use is alleged in
  60 of the abuse cases

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Trauma Accidents That Maim or Kill Children

• Every year 8000 children die due to accidents
  caused by parental neglect
• Another 50,000 are permanently disabled
• 90 of the accidents could have been prevented

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Indicators of Neglect

• The first of two indicators is physical
• The child experiences frequent hunger, poor
  hygiene, inappropriate dress
• The second indicator is behavioral
• These include begging, stealing food, extending
  school days by arriving early and leaving late,
  constant fatigue, listlessness, falling asleep in
  school, alcohol and drug abuse, delinquency,
  stealing

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Consequences of Neglect

• For human brains to develop properly, children
  need handling and love
• Neglect of basic love and care at childbirth
  causes neurological maldevelopment
• The nervous system fails to develop properly
  which can lead to pathologically violent behavior

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Physical and Emotional Abuse

• Charles Manson was a victim of severe emotional
  abuse
• Studies suggest that as many as 60 million
  children are victims of physical and emotional
  abuse
• There is a very thin line between discipline and
  physical child abuse and everyone has their own
  definition as to what discipline and abuse are

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Physical Abuse vs Discipline

• Whipping a child with your hands
• On the face
• On the buttocks
• One the back
• Using a switch on a child
• Punching the child with a fist
• Shaking the child
• Restraining a child with a rope

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Physical Abuse Defined

• Has to do with the issues of intent
• It is non-accidental
• It is intentional
• It is the physical injury of a child

17
Emotional Abuse

• Can be as bad as physical abuse or worse
• There are no physical attacks or external wounds
  but the child hurts on the inside due to no
  affection and support
• Examples would be to make a male child wear a
  dress to school or constantly call the child
  derogatory names

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Historical Roots of Abuse

• Infants were killed as a form of
• Birth control
• To avoid the dishonor of having an illegitimate
  child
• As a means of power
• As a method to dispose of retarded or deformed
  children

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Historical Roots of Abuse Cont..

• In Greece the child was the absolute property of
  the father
• The father could kill, mutilate, sell, and offer
  the children for sacrifice
• For centuries parents beat their children in the
  name of discipline
• Before the creation of the 1st juvenile court the
  churches began to remove children from battered
  homes
• In the 40s X-ray was invented and the doctors
  began to notice healed multiple fractures in the
  long bones of children

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Child Abuse and Neglect Laws

• There are state and Federal Laws that have three
  components
• Criminal Definitions and Penalties
• A mandate to report suspected cases
• A civil process for removing a child from an
  abusive or neglectful home
• Duly note that the Federal courts continue to
  rule that parents are free to strike their
  children. They say the custody, care and
  nurture resides in the parents first. That
  parents have a fundamental liberty interest to
  care and manage their children.

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Causes of Abuse

• Most abuse is inflicted by parents of the
  children
• The parents were victims of abuse themselves
• They come from dysfunctional families that suffer
  from marital discord and fighting viciously, one
  or both parents are substance abusers, the mother
  was raised by a substance-abusing parent, and the
  mother was often beaten while growing up
• Other characteristics are low income parents who
  have social isolation and parental expectations
  that exceed the childs abilities

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Indicators of Physical Abuse

• Physical Indicators-
• Unexplained bruises, welts, burns, fractures,
  lacerations, abrasions
• Behavioral Indicators-
• Kids who are wary of adults
• Being apprehensive when other children cry
• Showing extreme aggressiveness or withdrawal

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Indicators of Emotional Abuse

• Physical Indicators-
• Include speech disorders, lags in physical
  development, and general failure to thrive
• Behavioral Indicators-
• Includes habit disorders such as sucking, biting
  and rocking back and forth
• Other disorders are sleep disorders, inhibitions
  in play, obsessions, compulsions, phobias,
  hypochondria, behavioral extremes, and attempted
  suicide

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Three Levels of Abuse

• Collective abuse- Millions of children across
  America are ignored as far as natural and legal
  rights
• They are eating contaminated food and drinking
  contaminated water
• Many are exploited for child pornography
• They are subjected to constant TV violence
• They are thrown into packing plants and
  sweatshops and robbed of their childhoods

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Three Levels of Abuse Cont..

• Institutional Abuse-
• Includes the approval of force and violence in
  the schools
• Includes the neglect and denial of childrens due
  process rights in government institutions
• Corporal punishment in schools is declining and
  is only legal in 26 states

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Three Levels of Abuse Cont..

• Individual Abuse
• Is when one or more people emotionally and
  physically abuse a child
• This can include sexual abuse as well
• Note A story was written about the Chicago
  Couple who allegedly raped, drugged, and fed
  fried rats, and boiled cockroaches to their 4
  children for a period of four years

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Sexually Abused Children

• Each year 100,000 cases of child sexual abuse are
  reported
• Experts say that 90 of the child molestations
  are not reported
• Others estimate that 50 of the young woman have
  been sexually abused by their 18th birthday

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Sexually Abused Children Cont..

• There are 2 classifications of sexual abuse
• Intrafamilial which by a parent or other family
  member
• Extrafamilial involves a friend or stranger
• The crime usually occurs with someone the child
  knows, loves, and trusts

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Indicators of Abuse

• Physical Sexual Abuse Indicators are
• In preteens are venereal disease and pregnancy
• Behavioral Indicators
• Unwilling to change clothes
• Refuse to participate in physical education
  classes
• Bizarre sexual behavior
• Sexual sophistication beyond ones age
• Delinquent or runaway behavior

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Consequences of Sexual Abuse

• Most victims have adverse affects such as guilt,
  shame, anxiety, fear, depression, anger, low
  self-esteem, feelings of helplessness, and a
  strong need to please others
• More extreme measures include attempts of suicide

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Sexual Abuse on the Internet

• Today over 45 million children use the internet
• They are one click away from exploring the worlds
  greatest libraries
• They are another click away from sexual
  exploitation and victimization
• The internet is the new schoolyard for predators
  seeking children
• They can now do this with little detection by
  changing their identity and roaming from chat
  room to chat room trolling for children

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Sexual Abuse on the Internet

• The pedophiles or chickenhawks pose as another
  youth in order to establish a bond
• The pedophiles lure the children into meeting
  with them and they persuade them to engage in
  sexual activities
• Children have been kidnapped, raped, photographed
  for child pornography and worse never heard from
  again.

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Issues of Credibility in Reporting Sexual Offenses

• Because there are no witnesses and no physical
  indicators in most cases, sexual abuse can be
  difficult to prove
• Some accusations arise in the face of divorce and
  custody battles
• The warlike atmosphere can even discredit valid
  claims
• Coercing a child to lie about abuse that never
  occurred is a form of abuse in itself
• Parents inflict emotional and psychological
  damage to the children they are trying to protect

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Children as Victims of Violent Crimes

• Overall persons between 16-19 appear to have a
  higher incident of being a victim of violent
  crime
• In 1995
• 72 of murdered juveniles were male
• 49 were black
• 47 were white
• 22 were murdered by family members
• 37 were by acquaintances
• 13 by strangers
• 61 were killed by a firearm

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Violence and the Media

• The media glamorizes Materialism, violence,
  drug abuse and easy sex.
• Kids are desensitized to violence as never before
  showing gunfire with Rambos who kill at will.
• Too much violence will adversely affect children

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The End