foster cares effect on crime

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There are many hypotheses about the factors that contributed to the increase of juvenile delinquency after World War II. Though foster care was a system set to provide for the welfare of minor children or juveniles who had to be removed by the state from their birth parents; this system seems to be contributing to the problem of delinquency. Statistics do show a decrease in juvenile delinquency in the past years but the lack of parental guidance associated with foster care can contributed to the rise of delinquency. One reason that foster care has contributed to juvenile delinquency is because of the association with parental rejection and parental guidance. This happens because many times the children are placed with foster parents that have other kids of their own and do not see the foster care child as part of their family. “[The] familial factors contributed significantly to the likelihood of juvenile criminal activity [are] lack of parental monitoring inept discipline, and low parental affection and warmth” (Quinn, 35). The juvenile set in a foster care home many times has been rejected by his/her own biological parents and is faced with rejection from his foster care parents. “Cold, rejecting parents tend to have delinquent children [because] parental warmth could act as a protective factors against the effects of physical punishment” (Welsh, 63). The foster parent that rejects the juvenile will not care to provide guidance for the child. This in turn forces juveniles to find peers that are also facing rejection and are looking for acceptance and understanding. “Findings from longitudinal research implicated association with delinquent peers in the development and escalation of delinquency” (Chamberlain, 48). Another reason that foster care has contributed to juvenile delinquency is because of the association with parental guidance and the
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