Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure

Like thousands of other issues I was oblivious to, Juvenile delinquency is one that caught my attention recently. Having had a sheltered life myself, I realize I had never given a second thought to the life of juvenile delinquents, until I crossed paths with Fresh lifeline For Youth Program, Santa Clara (FLY). 

So, who really are juvenile delinquents?

Juvenile delinquents are minors, usually defined as being between the ages of 10 and 18, who have committed some act that violates the law. Poverty, parental abuse, illiteracy, peer influence are some of the biggest causes which force a child to get involved in criminal acts. Socio-cultural environment, both inside and outside of home, plays significant role in shaping one’s life and overall personality.There is never just single cause of violence, but we can certainly list a lot of risk factors, which increase the development of criminal behavior. 

The solutions are generally focused only on punishment and very little on prevention or intervention. I believe we are responsible for making an effort to maximize the chances of the juveniles to become a well-adjusted and contributing member of our society, and that can be accomplished by not punishment and reprimand but by right education and modelling behavior. 

Fresh Lifeline for Youth (FLY), has made groundbreaking progress in preventing juvenile crime and shaping the lives of juvenile delinquents. With the mission to prevent Juvenile crime through and incarceration through legal education, leadership training and one-on-one mentoring, they believe all the children deserve a chance to become more than their past mistake. The testimony of the effectiveness of the program is the ‘77% reduction in Juvenile incarceration in the Santa Clara county since 2000’.

There is a need for a change in the  society’s outlook and attitude towards delinquency. Instead of distrust and condemnation, the delinquents must be dealt with sympathy, understanding and positivism to enable their successful rehabilitation. 

Signing off with my Favorite quote from Rumi:

“Where there is ruin, there is hope for a treasure”

For more information on fly: http://flyprogram.org/