Effects of Influences Essay -- Sociology Risk Factors Protective Facto

Statement of Problem Coming from the inner-city I have been exposed to many risk factors that affect a juvenile's chances of becoming a delinquent or serious and violent offender. Intervention, however, can decrease the chances of a juvenile becoming delinquent. There are various protective factors that can "buffer" the impact of risk factors on a child's life. My mentor was the main source of protection from the risk factors of my childhood. Despite the fact that my family was not the positive influence I needed, I am grateful for my mentor because he really taught me a lot. For children raised in a single parent home, a mentor can do a world of good for both the child and himself. Both benefit from the knowledge each can provide regarding their different social worlds. The introduction to this paper is a story of how I arrived at where I am currently, compared to where I might have been had I never met my Mentor. The story of my father's life without a father, or any other positive influence, is included to explain my father's footsteps. My grandfather died in prison but with great pride about what he had done: breaking the law in order to buy a home for his family. The all too common product of premature unions are children raised in a broken home with one parent. Having two incomes is a lot better than one, if not having the mom at home to raise the children while she is financially supporting the family. Being a single parent is very difficult, with daycare being one of the only options for childcare while working. Some research indicates that daycare causes a child to be more aggressive as compared to children who have both parents while growing up, one being the caretaker and the other the provider. Family is... ...ng to others they often turned to drugs because they looked at it as being what the cool kids are doing. The participation in drug use will lead a person to only make friends with those who do drugs. The interviewees were also around drugs very often since their family members did it as well. When the parents do not look down upon the use of drugs they are only encouraging the use of drugs. Prevention programs should target the parents and family similar to some type of parent management training. This type of training would consist of social and academic skills, conflict resolution and mediation. Programs that consist of more than one predictor are more effective. Community and school-based strategies are also a part of being a protective factor. Crime has still increased between the mid 1990's and now, even though the number of chronic offenders is still unknown.