The dwindling economies of countries around the world, including the US, have put a large portion of the general population under economic restrictions and the competition for resources is becoming fierce with each passing day. This kind of hard lifestyle has therefore given rise to a new generation of juvenile offenders who are constantly seen treading the dangerously unpredictable line of anti-social behavior.

The debate here is that many high school students work in addition to attending school. This has led some people to think that getting employed is a good option for at-risk youths. A new study suggests otherwise and says that juvenile offenders who concentrate more on their jobs than on academic pursuits are more antisocial.

One thing is for sure though: preventing juvenile delinquency requires a supportive education system to integrate young offenders in to the mainstream society.

Employed but Not Literate

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Pittsburg, Temple University, and the University of California, Irvine. It was published in the journal Child Development.

Researchers studied 1,350 serious juvenile offenders, between the age of 14 and 17, to find out the association between employment and antisocial behavior among high-risk youths.

Monthly information about employment, school attendance and antisocial behavior was studied over a five years window. Most cases from the study belonged to low-income families.

Research Findings

The study concluded that regularly attending school without working anywhere was associated with the least antisocial behavior. On the other hand, high rates of employment (20 working hours/week) was associated with decreased antisocial behavior among youths who visited schools regularly.

Teenagers working for long hours without attending school on a regular basis were more open to adopt antisocial behavior. This group was followed by youths who worked for long hours without ever going to school.

The greatest amount of deviant behavior was witnessed among adolescents and the trend gradually subsided with the onset of adulthood.

Expert Opinion

“Our results suggest caution in recommending employment in and of itself as a remedy for adolescents’ antisocial behavior,” said Kathryn Monahan, the study’s lead researcher and assistant professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburg.

The summary of the study is that placing juvenile offenders on jobs could be an effective approach in the case of young adults, but the strategy can very well backfire in the case of high school going adolescents. If delinquent adolescents are not placed in a school, their behavior can disintegrate further to make them hardened criminals. So, school for juvenile delinquents is a must to ensure that the young ones are embraced back into the fold of mainstream society.

Why Educate Delinquent Children?

Those young offenders who hold part-time jobs are exposed to the harsh realities of the business world where they have to deal with all kinds of people: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Kids learn from their surroundings and they are more prone to adopt inappropriate adult behavior when they spend long hours on the job.

Schools can provide a mental escape route to delinquent kids and help them get their degrees, which would provide them the opportunity to get employment at respectable places. Think about the personal and professional benefits that school-going kids can enjoy in the future.