Juvenile delinquency has been a growing problem in America today. There are many theories of why juvenile delinquency occurs. One large factor is that juvenile delinquency could be connected with divorce. A divorce within the family could have a long lasting negative effect on the child. In many cases scholars have found juvenile delinquents to be apart of a broken home or exposed to a divorce between their parents. Others argue that a divorce has a very small effect or no effect on juvenile delinquency.
             A divorce could create emotional stress to a child. According to Julia M. Lewis due to emotional turmoil, it is not surprising that these kids exhibit high levels of drug and alcohol abuse. Hence drugs and alcohol used by children are likely to commit crimes in society. -In the novel For Better or For Worse: Divorce Reconsidered by E. Mavis Hetherington and John Kelly state "Twenty-five percent of youths from divorced families in comparison to 10 percent from non-divorced families did have serious social, emotional, or psychological problems." These problems could have an effect on a teenager, who then would participate in criminal behaviors. Bill O'Reilly in his book Who's Looking Out for You? explains how divorce is at 89 percent for African-Americans at the ages of fifteen to twenty-four. O'Reilly then goes on to say "A child without a secure support system will most likely be unable to compete with a child who has one." Not having a secure support system could lead to stress and then deviance. Hetherington also says "How could a child feel safe in a world where adults had suddenly become untrustworthy?" A child from a divorced home may be rebellious towards other adults, such as teachers or law enforcement and increase their chances of being a juvenile delinquent.
             Although there could be a connection with juvenile delinquency and divorce some scholars tend to differ. Dr. Robert E. E...