Child Maltreatment: Is There a Correlation Between Child Maltreatment and Delinquency?

Abstract

Children may experience many different types of maltreatment, such as physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and in some excessive cases, death. It is estimated that over three million children a year will fall victim to childhood maltreatment. These children are more commonly victimized at the hands of their parents or caretakers then by strangers or family friends. Medical researchers such as DeBellis, et. al., (2002), Teicher (2000, 2002), Widom (1999) and their associates demonstrate that the brain is permanently altered when children are exposed to childhood maltreatment. According to Bandura (1959, 1962, 1975, 1976, 1977), Skinner (1953, 1977), and Akers (1966, 1973, 1985, 1989, 1994, 1998), children learn social behavior by observing and imitating models. Again, altering behavior in a negative fashion. Research indicates that children who experience childhood maltreatment in their lifetime are approximately 59% more likely to become involved in delinquent or criminal behavior (Tuell, 2002, p. 2). It has also been shown that abused children also recidivate at a rate of 1.5 times more than children who are not subjected to maltreatment (Thornberry, 1994). Further, in the year 2007, child maltreatment cost U.S. citizens $103.8 billion. This research project examined the correlation between childhood maltreatment and adult criminality / juvenile delinquency through a survey design research project. The survey instrument was given to 500 college age adults and 500 adults currently incarcerated in the Mahoning County Jail in Ohio. The researcher analyzed statistics looking for correlations between the opinions that these two groups, specifically focusing on their beliefs how childhood maltreatment impacts criminality. Results from the study revealed that although the students and inmates had similar beliefs when asked if they believed child abuse created a child to be more apt to become delinquent and the appropriate ages for said topics there was a difference between actual life experiences fr