Infinite Spiral of Violence: Children vs. Society

• In Event: Unpacking the Social-Contextual Correlates of Youth Violence Over Time

Abstract

Violent crimes are actions which become more visible through the media, and are in fact more persistent and disruptive to society than they would have been thought. Particularly in the aggressive role of children in violent crimes, it causes the community to question itself and develop different approaches to the issue. The purpose of this study is to determine the dynamics behind these actions of children under the age of 18 who have been tried on charges of felonious homicide and / or attempted murder. For this purpose, 200 children who have been adjudicated in Turkish Criminal Courts for felonious homicide and / or attempted murder have been compared in terms of their pre-crime life dynamics with 200 children who have been adjudicated of non-violent crimes (e.g. theft). According to results, the children who performed violent crimes had vulnerable to social environments and having difficulty to control their anger. It is inevitable when the social institutions marginalize children by using any kind of punishment rather than protect them, children turned into perpetrator and practice violence against the society. The results are further discussed and compared with the findings of the existing literature with developing several policy and further research suggestions.

Authors

• Ayhan Erbay, İstanbul Aydın Universtiy

• Hasan Buker, Minot State University