Loss of love and guidance at the intimate levels of a family has a lot of social consequences for your children and the community. Minors from broken families tend to exploit others to satisfy their unmet desires, especially from their peers. A teen looks up to an adult for moral and ethical values.

Studies have shown that youths become violent when only when they are experiencing disturbance at home. High-crime neighbourhoods are characterized by a high concentration of broken families. The rise in violence parallels the rise in broken homes.

Single parents are often busy working, they are therefore mostly missing in action in a child’s life and are not able to spend quality time with their children. The juvenile justice system may respond differently to the children from a single parent rather than two parent families.

Let’s consider some of the juvenile crimes our teens are prone to in this era:

Shoplifting is the act of stealing goods from an open retail establishment while pretending to be a customer. You may conceal a store item in your pockets, underclothes or a bag and leave the store without paying. Contrary to beliefs that teenagers from low-income families are the most individuals prone to this, it appears to be most prevalent among the middle-class.

Habitual shoplifters report stealing almost twice a week and it is often the only crime they will keep committing. Shoplifters often target luxury goods contrary to your opinion of thinking that they steal toiletries or food as a necessity to survive. It is estimated that one in four shoplifters is a juvenile. This behavior persists into adulthood if not detected early.

Juvenile offenders in Texas tend to rise during the summer months. Penalties imposed on juveniles for shoplifting are intended to teach and correct rather than to punish. This is because the law considers minors as immature. The imposed penalty reflects the worth of the value stolen. For this reason, juvenile penalty varies from case to case. For instance:

• Probation – Often 6 months but could be longer depending on a number of circumstances. It requires you to take specific actions such as obey reasonable orders from parents, guardians or requires you to stay in school and regularly report to the probation officer.

• Release to parents – A first-time shoplifter may be pardoned by the court, given a lecture and a stern warning about shoplifting and its consequences and then released to their parent or guardian.

• Counseling – A court may order counseling where appropriate. Counseling services may be provided by the state, family counselor or any appropriate individual.

• Restitution – A court may order compensation to the property owner for the value shoplifted.

• Diversion – Almost similar to probation, however, it only applies to first-time shoplifters. It may be achieved through participation in an education program, community service or meet other requirements.

• Confinement – Applies to serious shoplifting cases, especially the repeat juvenile offenders. A court may order a minor to a juvenile detention facility, weekend detention program or can order a juvenile into a foster home.

Theft is the act of taking something that doesn’t belong to you without asking for permission. Most states divide theft into two categories, grand theft and petty theft. Theft of property worth over 500$ is considered a grand theft while all other thefts lower than that are considered as petty theft. Many acts can be classified as petty theft. Here are some of the most common scenarios:

• Changing price tags on items in order to pay less.

• Not paying for food consumed in a restaurant

• Placing an item in your pocket in a store without paying for it

• Sneaking into a theater and watching a movie without paying for it

You may not consider some of the above as crimes but that doesn’t mean you won’t be charged if caught. Petty theft is classified as a misdemeanor even for first-time juvenile offenders in most states. It could result to felony for repeat offenders. In Texas, petty theft can be punished by a monetary fine or a possible jail term depending on the severity of the case.

Possible cases of petty theft can include:

• Mistake – IT is considered a mistake if it is believed that the defendant once owned the item that was stolen.

• Lack of intent – The defendant may believe that they were just borrowing it.

• False accusation – The defendant may be wrongly accused or it may be a case of mistaken identity.

Other defenses may apply depending on the situation. Hire a qualified criminal defense lawyer from your region if charged since petty theft laws can be different in different regions.

This is the deliberate destruction of public or private property. Penalty as a result of vandalism by a minor includes fines and up to a year in the local jail. If it results in serious damage to a property, it can be considered a felon. Many acts of vandalism are misdemeanors.

In order for you to be convicted in court, they must prove that you acted to destroy someone’s property without their permission. As the cost of damage increases, so does the severity of the crime.

Penalties for vandalism in Texas

• Restitution

• Fines

• Probation

• Diversion

• Detention

All states do not have separate laws for vandalism and juvenile vandalism. Juvenile delinquents have a right to legal counsel just as adults.

A juvenile delinquent may face a number of charges.

• Defacement of property (Penal code 594) – It states that it is illegal to deface a property with graffiti or any other material. Juveniles charged with this offense may be forced to keep the community graffiti-free for up to a year through community service

• Freeway (Penal code 640.8) – Blemishing or defacing property near a highway or a freeway attracts a fine of up to 1000$ or you risk serving a jail term if you are a repeat offender.

• Possession of aerosol container by a teen (Penal code 594.1) – It states that it is an offense for a minor to purchase etching cream or aerosol paint capable of defacing property. Penalty for this offense includes a 100 hours of community service for a period of 90 days.

When property damage exceeds $400, you may be charged with felony. However, there are exceptions in some cases.

Repeated and unwanted surveillance by an individual or a group towards another is called stalking. A stalker can be someone you know, an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend or a stranger. Is your teenager stalking an ex or a crush? Kindly inform them they are committing a crime.

Since the definition varies, a stalker may:

• Wait at your favorite hanging spots

• Drop off unwanted gifts at your place

• Constantly call you and hang up

• Damage your car, home or property

• Send unwanted text messages or letters

• Use social networks to track your current location

• Spread rumors about you via the internet or by word of mouth

• Make unwanted phone calls to you

In the United States, about 3.4 million people are being stalked and are mostly the youth between the ages of 18-24. Stress, anxiety, vulnerability, troubled sleeping patterns and lack of concentration at work or in school are some of the characteristics of a person being stalked.

Get in touch with the police if you are in immediate danger. Remember to keep important evidence such as text messages, videos, letters, photos or unwanted items, a record of times and places the incidents occurred. It is a traumatic experience, you need to develop a safety plan by keeping you friends and family in the loop of the incidences.