The Family Unit's Impact on Juvenile Rehabilitation

Family problems can range from physical child abuse to relatively minor parental guidance issues. Although family history does not excuse an offender's behavior, it does help to explain it (Herbst, 2005). If an immediate family member abuses drugs, the child may in fact see that as a "normal" thing to do. Parents and older siblings are the first role models that children have and seeing the behavior of such persons profoundly shapes the juvenile. An article written by NationalCenter on Addiction and SubstanceAbuse at Columbia University, New York describes the impact that family substance abuse may have on an offender:

Like substanceabuseitself,substance-related crime can run in the family, creating a vicious spiral descending into deeper addiction and more serious illegal activity. Incarcerated adults are likely to be children of parents who were in prison; these adults are themselves the fathers and mothers of 2,500,000 offspring. Kids of jailed parents are likelier than children whose parents have not been locked up to end up in prison (Califano & Colson, 2005).

In addition to substance abuse issues, there is presence of physical and emotional abuse targeted directly at adolescents in many homes. Physical abuse may include slapping, hitting, brutal beatings, inappropriate touching and even more intrusions of the child's innocence. Emotional abuse can include name calling, rejection, and neglect, just to name a few. A parent's abuse or rejection leads to wounded emotions within the soul of each child. These wounds are the most painful and traumatic because of the source (Herbst, 2005). This type of abuse may create problems that are, emotional, social, and psychological. The child does not understand why he or she has been betrayed by a person they should have held in a position of trust. Such betrayal may create a great deal of rage in the person that continues to develop later in life. This rage may take the form of violence against others and, in effect, violation of the law.