1. Adolescent Perpetrators Chapter Six
DR GINNA BABCOCK

2. Introduction
Children at risk for being victimized by family violence and for perpetrating it against others
Research finds some forms of victimization increase the risk of juvenile criminal offending
Juvenile offending can be seen in specific categories of crime

3. Family Based Theory
Multidimensional theories address juvenile crime and child abuse
Multidimensional theories do not restrict themselves to any one major school of thought
Consider causes and effects of family violence from a broader perspective
According to family based theories, violent behaviors are caused by the family structure and family interactions rather than by an individual within the family

4. Family Systems Theory
An important concept in family systems theory is the interconnectedness of each member who influences the others in a predictable and recurring way
The role that each family member takes in contributing to the abuse or neglect is considered
Example: If the father is the perpetrator, the possibility of the mother’s reluctant intervention may appear to be tacit approval, it would be explored as a contributing factor in the repeated occurrence of abuse

5. Ineffective Parenting
Parents critical factor in the development of children
Poor monitoring, low levels of positive parent–child involvement, and coercive parenting are among the practices believed to affect aggression and bullying in juveniles

6. Causes of Sibling Abuse
Overwhelmed parents—Parents who are coping with problems that are overwhelming lack the ability or energy to intervene in sibling abuse
Inappropriate expectations—Parents often expect an older sibling to care for younger children in their absence
Lack of parenting skills—Sometimes parents are ineffective in controlling sibling abuse because they do not know how or what to do

7. Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect
Children may experience similar symptoms to abuse that an adult would when he or she has experienced a traumatic event
Inability to verbalize sadness and fear
Think they will lose their caregiver
Children who either witnessed violence in their parents or experienced abuse may learn violent behavior
May also learn to justify violent behavior as appropriate
Majority of abuse victims do not commit family or other forms of violence as adults

8. Consequences of Child Abuse and Neglect
Intergenerational Cycle of Violence
Resilience and Self Esteem
Childhood Abuse and Delinquent or Criminal Behavior
Childhood Abuse and Social Consequences
Childhood Abuse and Psychological Consequences
Consequences of Witnessing Family Violence

9. Intergenerational Cycle of Violence
Child abuse studies find some maltreating parents or caregivers were victims of abuse themselves as children
Intergenerational cycle of violence: abused children are more likely to become abusers themselves than those who are not abused
Much evidence supports violence-begets-violence hypothesis, the intergenerational transmission is not clear
Children raised in homes where they witness partner violence are at risk for developing psychological problems

10. Intergenerational Cycle of Violence
Type, degree, and frequency of violence
Is mother or father helpless victim of assault? Or equal participant in mutual combativeness?
Role of child: calling the police, intervening physically, or pretending to ignore the violence
Stability of the home otherwise and general quality of parenting
Child’s chronological & emotional age, stage of physical development, intellectual functioning at the time of the first occurrence,
Child’s relationship with each parent
Degree of support to child from siblings, pets, extended family, friends, or interested adults
Reaction of others to battered parent’s request for help

11. Resilience and Self Esteem
Not all maltreated children grow up to abuse their own children
Majority of children victimized through domestic violence do not commit criminal acts as adults
Research finds about one-third who experience child abuse will subject their children to maltreatment
Theory on global self-esteem: self-image develops early in life through experiences in childhood
Self image characterized by self-esteem may be more fully developed throughout adolescence
Resilience: manifestation of self-esteem, thought to be one of the factors that mediate the negative effects of child abuse

12. Childhood Abuse and Delinquent or Criminal Behavior
Child victims at greater risk of becoming offenders themselves
Being abused or neglected as a child increases the likelihood of arrest as a juvenile by 59 percent
As an adult by 28 percent
Arrest for a violent crime as an adult by 30 percent
Researchers identified relationships between child maltreatment and subsequent violence perpetration

13. Childhood Abuse and Social Consequences
Victimization of children has grave social consequences
Victims at age 29 scored significantly lower on intelligence tests and completed fewer years of school
Problems with quality of personal relations
Higher rate of divorce and separation
Higher rates of suicide attempts
Higher incidence of antisocial personality disorder, and
Alcohol abuse regardless of age, sex, race, or criminal history

14. Childhood Abuse and Psychological Consequences
Emotional and psychological problems in adulthood one consequence of child abuse
Experiencing a physical assault or physically abusive punishment as a child associated with:
12 % increase in the likelihood of posttraumatic stress disorder in boys, and
21 % increase in girls
Child sexual abuse elevates maternal depression and substance abuse
Child sexual abuse has long-term repercussions for adult mental health, parenting relations, and child adjustment in the succeeding generation

15. Consequences of Witnessing Family Violence
Children witnessing family violence is linked to:
Depression
Cognitive impairment
At greater risk for victim abuse
Impact on emotional, social development
Men more likely to hit
Women more likely to be victims

16. Adolescent Offending Patterns
Common that adolescent is both victim and offender of child abuse
High school students with histories of maltreatment experience significant adjustment and emotional problems
Female students: risk of anger and depression, anxiety, and post traumatic stress disorder
Alcohol abuse, marijuana abuse, hard drug abuse, and delinquent behavior for boys and girls
Boys: three times more likely to commit crime than girls

17. Animal Cruelty
Defined as socially unacceptable behavior that intentionally causes unnecessary pain, suffering, or distress to and /or death of an animal
Ranges from toddler pulling kitten’s tail to serious animal torture
Animal abuse more likely to occur where children are abused and neglected at home
May be associated with exposure to family violence
Sexually abused children more likely to engage in bestiality as adolescents

18. Juvenile Child Care Offenders
Older children account for ~ 40 percent of offenses committed in childcare context
Male and female offenders identified as potential abusers of children placed in their care
Males responsible for a larger proportion of sexual offenses

19. Firesetting
Juvenile firesetters: children or adolescent who engages in firesetting
Strong link between juvenile abuse victimization and firesetting
Abuse and neglect are risk factors contributing to a more severe course of firesetting
Firesetting is a coping mechanism for troubled youth who have been victimized
An association has been established between juveniles who abuse animals and those who set fires

20. Murder
In the United States, juveniles were involved in an estimated 1300 murders in 2002
Family members accounted for 16 percent of victims
Parricide: the killing of one’s parent
Matricide: mother is killed by one of her children
Patricide: the act of killing the father

21. Runaway
Between 1.6 and 2.8 million juveniles run away every year
Many police departments fail to report these children who run away, are lost, or abducted
Policies and laws vary from state to state
Runaways and prostitution are among the responses by females who are sexually assaulted
Over 70 percent of girls in the juvenile justice system have been sexually abuse and assaulted

22. Sexual Offending
Sexual offenders report they began in their adolescent years
An early target may be a younger sibling
May abuse because he or she has learned that this acceptable or may act out of rage due to their own experiences
Juveniles account for approximately one-fifth of all rapes and one-half of child molestation cases committed in the United States
These figures believed to be high underestimated of the prevalence of sexual offending

23. Sibling Violence
No single explanation has evolved to explain sibling abuse: rather, a combined condition has been identified
Child is born and conditioned into violent behavior
Abuse of power generally occurs when a sibling attempts to compensate for a lack or loss of power
Abusers perceive an imbalance between themselves and younger siblings
About 53 percent of children aged 3 to 7 have committed violence against brother or sister

24. Physical Abuse
Is defined as one member of the sibling pair deliberately causing physical harm to another
Consistently revealed by research as the most common form of family violence
Most significant predictor of physical sibling abuse is animal abuse and physical assaulting of school staff
Abuse may involve:
Shoving, hitting, slapping, kicking, biting, pinching, and hair pulling
Use of broom handles, rubber hoses, coat hangers, hairbrushes, belts, knives, guns and rifles, broken glass, blades and scissors, drowning attempts, suffocation,

25. Sexual Abuse
Sibling incest: is sexual behavior between siblings that is not age appropriate, not transitory, and not motivated by developmentally appropriate curiosity
A common misconception is that it is playful and not harmful for the younger child
Sibling abuse more common than parent abuse
Examples:
Unwanted sexual advances
Sexual leers,
Forcing a sibling to view pronographic material
Intercourse

26. Emotional abuse
Characterized by the constancy and intensity of the words and actions that express contempt and degradation
Most difficult category to define in the sibling relationship
Usually thought to be normal sibling rivalry
Increased risk of habit disorders, conduct disorders, neurotic traits, psychoneurotic reactions, and suicide attempts

27. Teen Dating Violence
Dating violence means an act by an individual with whom that person has or has had a dating relationship and that is intended to result in physical harm, bodily injury, assault or sexual assault, or
a threat that reasonably places the individual in fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury, assault or sexual assault, but does not include defensive measures
During the adolescent years one in three teens are involved in abusive relationships

28. Parent Abuse
A significant proportion of family violence is perpetrated by a juvenile against parents or siblings
Percentage has increased
Reasons for increase:
Better training for police officers
Broader definition of domestic violence
Greater awareness of what is unacceptable behavior within family
Children of battered women may identify with the batterer against the mother, not uncommon for the child to assault the mother

29. Pedophilia
Refers to an adult who engages in sexual acts with a child as their preferred sexual partner
Attempts have been made to legalize the practice of boy sexual relationships involving an adult and child
Mean age of male pedophilia 28 years
26 years old for female offenders
Have often experienced sexual abuse as children

30. Child Pornography
A recent rise in the numbers of cases involving child pornography
Commonly believed that most child pornography crimes are undiscovered
Two types that involve juveniles:
Juvenile victim pornography which includes an identifiable victim of sexual abuse
Child exploitation pornography which the child is sexually depicted but no additional offense is involved