Troubled Teens

It seems as though everyone either knows personally or has heard of a troubled teen; whether it is the kid down the street, one of your child’s friends or your own child. Is it preventable? Can they be helped? What causes teens to be so rebellious? Do state funded agencies or programs really work? These are just some of the questions that I find within myself.

I would like to say first of all that I found lots of statistics associated with troubled teens and juvenile delinquents but I chose not to include them because I do not believe in statistics. Every individual within a “statistic” has a name. Statistics do not give people hope; they are a generalization and they do not look at the individual. I believe that we need to help one “troubled teen” at a time, individually, according to what they need to rehabilitate their lives.

What causes these “troubled teens”? Do they just wake up one morning and decide to be rebellious? I think not. In my research, I found one study that actually identified a number of demographic and behavioral characteristics associated with the risk of becoming a troubled teen. “Ethnic minority status, aggressive, antisocial behavior, difficulties in school and school failures, [and] family stresses” (Scott; Nelson; Liaupsin; Jolivette; Christle; Riney) were all linked to the labeling of an “at risk teen”. This report stated that the most important prevention factor was “effective instruction in academic and social skills” (Scott; Nelson; Liaupsin; Jolivette; Christle; Riney) through the school in which teens attend. I 100% disagree with their primary prevention factor. First of all, social skills are taught early on in the home. I was astonished that although this study included family stresses as a preventative measure, why was it not first and foremost? Our family and family life has the biggest influence over who we are and who we become. Our personalities are formed usually by the age of 5 and it is the family that molds and helps to create or destroy that. I have to wonder who paid for this study. Was it a company that sells, makes, or generates standardized tests within the public school system? (That would definitely help them out because they are then proving how school is the “mighty God”) If we put all of our primary focus of preventative measure on the schools, than we are creating a heightened sense of “Importance” for the institution known as public school. I’m not implying that school in unimportant but I believe it is the family structure, love and support that should be the primary focus of preventative measures; not just troubled teens but in all areas of life. Family is first and should be first.

Parents of troubled teens often get to the point of desperation and send their child to programs such as military style boot camps or expensive nature therapy camps. There are other programs too such as Teen Challenge, and boarding schools. The worst case scenario would be Juvenile Detention, which in no way rehabilitates.

Many of these programs are short-term experiences that do not produce long-term alteration. A study on Juvenile boot camps programs for juvenile offenders was conducted by the FCL Education Fund of CA and in 1996 concluded that, “[n]o site graduated more than 50 percent” (FCL Research). Another study performed by the Koch Crime Institute suggests that, “It may also be worth considering that recidivism rates for lengthy detention in traditional juvenile settings are not much better than those of shorter camp style experiences. The report states that recidivism rates for traditional correctional facilities are between 63% and 71%” (FCL Research). Is there no one that sees these numbers and thinks that maybe we should find alternatives? Why keep doing what isn’t working? Why go through all that money and trouble?

“No one wants to spend money on these “feral” youngsters, although they are very keen to punish them” (Angels and Devils, Alibhai-Brown 22). Surely, there has to be a better way to help these teenagers than through punishment methods. Perhaps the punishment is an easy fix to those in authority; subdues the teen for a while or at least detains him temporarily. Can we not do better than that? I’m not implying that teenagers should not be held accountable for wrong-doings. There should absolutely be consequences for one’s actions.

We need to get to the heart of that matter even if that means one at a time. What happened to these teenagers when they were children? Were they victims of sexual or physical assault? Do they come from dysfunctional families? Ironically, I found little or no information focusing on the family and what a sound family can actually prevent. It makes me wonder if that is only a reflection of the society that ours has become. Families seem to have little or no importance especially with the divorce rate being a 1 out of every 2 ending in divorce. And yet, our society has embraced with open arms the notion of the “blame game”. Who is going to take responsibility for the deviant behaviors of some teenagers? Having sex, getting pregnant and changing diapers is not the end of parenting; it is only the beginning. It is like the water in a stew. If that is all you had and all you did then you would only have a beverage not a hearty meal. You need the meat, potatoes, vegetables, seasoning incorporated also in order to make something out of nothing. This is love, support, structure, belief, understanding, compassion etc.

I had my own personal experience in dealing with a troubled teen. In March of 2004 I got a phone call from a not-so-close “friend” in Louisiana. For about a month, I was getting phone calls everyday from Tonya, the frantic mother of a troubled teen. She would sob and ask me for advice as to what she should do. The circumstances were getting into fights at school, getting expelled from school, drug abuse, running away and finally suicide attempts. I was so frustrated at the whole situation because I believe 100% that the reason Brittany, the troubled teen, was acting out in this manner was because of her home environment and how she was raised. I do not believe that Tonya was a good mother and frankly she is a little clueless as to the “Children learn what they live” notion.

Let me shed some light onto Brittany’s background. Brittany’s mother, Tonya, is 33. She got pregnant for Brittany when she was 15. She dropped out of school and proceeded to have 2 more children, all who have