There have been a lot of injustices in the social, economic and political matters which have threatened fairness in the juvenile justice system. Although the girl child has been physically and emotionally challenged by the culture and the belief system around her life, the rise in juvenile crime rate should be checked. The administration should seek the root cause of the problem in order to come up with a viable solution. It is important to understand that girl’s issues are deeply rooted in the cultures and belief system of the many societies across the world. The denial to access the essential basic needs such as education has been on the rise in the marginalized areas. In addition, the belief systems together with the various constitutions restrict the girl child from exploiting challenging tasks. As a result of this, most of the girls are left out to struggle in order to ensure their survival. This, among other factors might be the root cause of the increasing girl crime level. This paper seeks to analyze the girls and the juvenile judicial systems.
Historically the males have been known in the violation of rules and regulations. However, this has recently been changed as girls actively engage themselves in the wrongful act. The big question should be why is this happening? As people who care about the girls we should investigate some of the reasons which might have led to the increase in crime rate. The report shows that in the last few years the number of offences which are committed by the girls have continued to rise, more so to those between the age of 10-17 years. Indeed, in the past three years the crimes committed by girls have risen by more than 50%. In addition, the 2008 report on youth crime figures shown that girls also participate in violent attacks, assaults, thefts, public offences and other criminal damages.
Although the girls are fully involved in these offences, very little measures have been taken towards them. For instance, out of the 15,830 girls who appeared before the court in the year 2007, 15,350 received bail or community sentences while 450 were sent into custody. Currently, only 207 girls who are serving their jail term in the juveniles. This is as compared to 2,730 boys locked up in these young offender institutions (Morris, 2008). Since the law has not been firm to punish the offenders, they have opted to use this advantage to increase their crime levels. They have also developed gangs which punishes those who oppose them. All this has been happening as the girl child tries to resist the cruel treatment from the counterpart. Among the reasons which have contributed to the rise of criminal act among the girls include the crime wave which is the massive influence which emanate from peer-pleasure. In most cases, it affects the decision making of the individual who is forced to follow what the others are doing. It is estimated that 25% rise in girls offences are due to prevailing lawlessness in the society. Female drinking has also greatly contributed to the rise of violent and other criminal offences among girls. The statistics shows that more than 30% of the school going girls engage themselves in binge-drinking. The figure is relatively higher compared to that of schoolboys. The extreme alcohol consumptions therefore have significantly contributed to the rise of girl’s criminal records.
Family problems and breakdowns have greatly contributed to the girl’s wrongful act. The increasing family break-ups emotionally affect the girl who consequently seeks her peer’s advice. The emotional disability caused by the constant chaos in the family forces the girls to engage in alcohol consumptions as they seek happiness and satisfactions.
It is therefore important for the government to come up with plans which can ensure that all the offenders get equal punishments and justice in the court of law. The courts should also seek to find out the reason behind the commitment of the offence (Rights of the child & the juvenile justice, 2000). By so doing, the contributors of the offences will also be punished. Since the parents are the role models of children, excellent behaviors should be encouraged and the parents should provide the basic essentials in order to prevent their daughters from undertaking risky ventures as they seek to earn some money. It is evident that most of the children engaging in the criminal offences lack protection and some are openly neglected by their guardians. At some points, some indulge themselves in the wrongful acts after being physically abused by the people they least expected to harm them. It is therefore critical to have protective environment where children and more so the girls are shielded from any harm. The societal levels ranging from families, governments, teachers and media should play a collective role in ensuring that children are safe. Protecting the children will not only be essential in maintaining physical and emotional health, but also contributes to the full potential development (Bishnoi, 2005, p.134).
The government should therefore ensure that the girls who are found guilty of the major offences are sent to the juveniles. This will not only help to pluck out the wrong doers in the society, but will also discourage those intending to join up the gang. Fair rulings should be made in courts in order to prevent harsh punishment on petty or minimal offences. The government should also ensure that there is equal treatment, equal opportunities and equal resource distributions to both the boy and the girl child (Adams, Byrnes & Commonwealth Secretariat, 1999, p.143). This move will help to bridge the growing gap between the two. It will also empower the girl child and consequently improve her law adherence. The US government has taken an initiative towards the improvement of juvenile institutions, a move which has seen goal shift from rehabilitation to retribution and deterrence. The courts will therefore charge the minors with violent crimes that incite community outrage (Siegel & Welsh, 2008, p.208).
The international organizations such as the human right watch, UNICEF and Save The Girl Child should educate the society on the need of improving the girl child status. They should focus on ensuring that the girl child is not denied basic human rights. It is important to let the society know that all what the girl child needs is to feel safe, feel loved, and feel important and to belong. It’s equally important to ensure that these needs are met in healthy, legal and safe ways. By so doing, we will have greatly reduced the girl’s crime rate level. Since the girl mental health is the most important to her, dealing with it carefully will enhance rightful action (Gaines & Miller, 2006, p.76).
It is important to understand the root cause of offence commitment by the girl child. The juvenile should facilitate the rehabilitation of the lawbreakers, but it is important to use safe and secure techniques. The institutions should focus on the violation of relationships as they lead to the violation of rules and laws. Measures should be put in place in order to guarantee the girl’s emotional and physical safety as their absence are the main contributors of the rise in crime record.
References
Adams, K., Byrnes, A. & Commonwealth Secretariat. (1999). Gender equality and the judiciary: using international human rights standards to promote the human rights of women and the girl-child at the national level. London, Commonwealth Secretariat. Web.
Bishnoi, A. (2005). Empowerment of Women and Girl Child. New Delhi, Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. Web.
Gaines, L.K., & Miller, R.L. (2006). Criminal Justice in Action. Belmont, Cengage Learning. Web.
Morris, N. (2008). The Big Question: Why are girls committing more crime, and should we be alarmed? Web.
Rights of the child & the juvenile justice (care and protection of children) ACT, 2000. Legal Service India.com. Web.
Siegel, L. J & Welsh, B. C. (2008). Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law. Belmont, Cengage Learning. Web.