Selected Comparisons of (State your neighborhood) and New York City
Summary of the table
The daily student attendance in my neighborhood stood at 88.88% compared to the countrywide attendance level of 85.4% (My neighborhood Statistics 2009). This implied that most students preferred attending school with a smaller group opting to miss out at least on a daily basis. There could be possible reasons for this constant absenteeism. For instance, some students could miss school attendance due to illnesses which has led them to be nursed at home or perhaps admitted in hospitals. In addition, there is a possibility of some cases of child neglect whereby the concerned parents or guardians have failed to perform their duties resulting in regular absenteeism. The overall countrywide data is slightly lower than that of my neighborhood which implies that there are boroughs within the country which experienced even higher levels of student absenteeism. Nevertheless, there was data provided for the number of school dropouts and those who have successfully completed their schooling in the recent year. The percentage of students who were meeting the set standards in mathematics was 92.6% in my neighborhood. This was a category of students between grades 3-8. This is a relatively high number indicating that mathematics is one of the best subjects in which these students excel. There seems to be a general liking of the subject within this age group with only a small figure failing in the subject. Comparatively, the countrywide percentage stood at 81.8%, slightly lower than that of my neighborhood. Similar to the previous case of daily school attendance, there must be boroughs within the country with a much more dismal performance than that for my borough which leads to an averagely low national figure. All the teachers who are employed are certified and highly qualified, perhaps explaining the reason for the high performance rate in both mathematics and reading. However, reading is performing poorly both within my borough and also countrywide scale. Complaints which were reported against disorderly youth were very minimal and my neighborhood only recorded 0.05% in contrast to the countrywide figure of 0.17 % (My neighborhood Statistics 2009).
The community complaints against rodents were 195 for my borough against a high national figure of 2150. Rodents are a cause of concern as seen from the high number of reported cases. Moreover, the number of those under foster care placements in my neighborhood was 998 while the countrywide figure was 7122 (Placements 2009). This is a surging figure and it is likely that parental neglect alongside other family strife is a major challenge.
Factors which are likely to contribute to juvenile delinquency
Several factors could lead to children committing criminal acts against the expectation of the society. For instance, peer pressure influence which usually compels the young people to have the need to belong within a group and not to be left out in such gang activities is a real impetus to juvenile delinquency. When they join these gangs which are already established and ready to commit crime, they quickly adapt to it and become part of the social misfits.
Another cause of concern is the use and abuse of drugs by the young people. Most of these drugs hey use have a long lasting effect which alters the normal working of their minds and therefore they develop an aggressive attitude which leads them into crime. In cases when they cannot afford the cost of these costly hard drugs, they are pushed to theft.
When young people have been branded as criminals, they are more likely to commit more crimes and so this is one impetus of child delinquency. Society has labeled them as offenders and so they have become criminals themselves. Besides, when young people are strained due to problems they face in their day to day lives like poverty, they are more likely to resort to crime.
Factors which are likely to reduce juvenile delinquency
Government involvement in the prevention program by setting aside funds to deal with the preventive efforts is highly recommended (Siegel & Welsh 2009). These funds can then be used to organize educational programs targeting the young people on substance abuse before they find themselves as abusers. For some cases, treatment can be advanced to prevent further engagement in substance abuse. In addition, there is dire need for regular family counseling on matters related to age group influence and making of worthy choices even as they relate with each other. Youth mentors and role models should be made available to serve as life examples to the young people while parents require education on the best parenting skills so that they can raise and supervise their children appropriately as they grow up (Siegel & Welsh 2009). Finally, supporting the youth in achieving their educational endeavors is imperative to reduce the rate of school dropouts who eventually end up as juvenile delinquents.
Policies and practices to help reduce or already implemented in reducing juvenile delinquency
In order to reduce the rate of crime committed by young people in my community, there is a need to educate the youth in matters of drug and substance abuse. This has been the main driving factor for children who eventually end up as criminals. If proper education coupled with counseling exercises could be instituted within my community, it would help reduce the rate of juvenile delinquency. Additionally, family related problems like parental neglect should be addressed by either taking parents through some kind of curriculum aimed at improving their parenting skills or apprehending those parents who have openly violated their roles. One of the policies which have been successfully implemented in my community to reduce juvenile delinquency is educational support of school dropouts. This has significantly reduced the rate at which young people find refuge in crime.
Reference List
My neighborhood Statistics (2009). Web.
Placements (2009). Web.
Siegel L.J and Welsh C.B (2009). Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law, California: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.