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Hailey Miller
English Comp 1
MWF 12:30
November 10, 2014
Poverty Preventing the American Dream
What is achieving The American Dream wasn't obtainable solely
because of how much money you have? Poverty plays a huge role in
achieving The American Dream. The youth of this nation is affected
drastically by income and family life. They are faced with hard decisions
every day, which can land them in jail, or can lead them down the right path.
In Urban Poverty and Juvenile Crime: Evidence from a Randomized HousingMobility Experiment Jens Ludwig writes The crime in America may be
related in part to the spatial concentration of low-income families in high
poverty, high crime urban neighborhoods. (Ludwig 2)
Crime in these low income neighborhoods happen for various reasons.
Peer pressure to fit in with an older group of individuals, the conviction rate
in the community, lower education levels, gang involvement, and the
willingness of the victims to report crimes, all affect how often crimes take
place. Low income based housing is believed to produce more juvenile
delinquents than upper class neighborhoods. These negative beliefs are
creating a bad stereotype for everyone in these communities and it plays a
role in their outlook on daily living. The youth living in low income housing
begin to believe these stereotypes and have no desire to abide by the laws

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and end up in legal troubles. When these juveniles are caught doing illegal
activities they are often placed in correctional facilities. Placing juveniles into
the court system is supposed to put them back on the right track in life, but
statistically that is not the case. Longitudinal studies have shown that
arresting children and placing them in the juvenile court system increases
the likelihood of their continued involvement in the courts as both youth and
as adults (Birkhead) Approximately 2,500 juveniles are held in custody
after their trial. After they are released, 75 percent of these juvenile
delinquents are re-arrested within three years (Warner 6). Being locked up
and kept away from their family can have a very negative effect on a child.
Detaining a juvenile not only disrupts the youths school, home, and social
life, but it also tends to bring out mental and health problems that the
individual faced before being incarcerated. A portion of these problems can
be avoided by more structure in schools where many issues begin.
A lack of structure in school comes mainly from a lack of funding.
Students drop out of school for various reasons, many of which include
problems at home. When students drop out they are less likely find a job
and earn a living wage, and more likely to be poor and to suffer from a
variety of adverse health outcomes. Moreover, they are more likely to rely on
public assistance and engage in crime (Rumberger). With a low amount of
education young adults tend to fall down the wrong path largely due to a
smaller amount of job options. With little to no sources of income, crime
becomes an easy way to get things that are needed and desired. Stealing

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and robbing people for the things that they are lacking become a quick way
to get the things that one wants or needs. Dropouts are 3.5 times more
likely to be arrested than high school graduates and more than eight times
as likely to be incarcerated (Warner 3).
More structure in schools would play a very big role in reducing the
crime rate. More funding would also have to occur though. The poverty levels
of most schools in these lower class neighborhoods cannot afford to take all
the necessary steps in making school a safer, and more enjoyable
experience for children. Staff members could benefit from being trained on
how to handle negative classroom behavior, and how to reward good
behavior. Teachers cite help in classroom management as one of their top
two professional development needs (Warner 3). So, it is safe to say, When
teachers have the tools they need, they will have more time for effective
instructions and students will have more opportunities to learn in a safe
environment (Warner 3). Keeping students in school and safe while they are
there, will help keep them off the streets and out of trouble during the
majority of their day. Suspending students who have gotten into trouble
during school can often lead to them getting into trouble outside of school as
well. Among the students suspended more than ten times, only 40 percent
graduated from high school Although violent behavior should not go
unpunished, less serious acts that have received suspensions should be
handled differently. Pushing a student out of a school and keeping them from
learning, only send them out into the world, often unsupervised due to

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parents working, and leads to negative opportunities surfacing for the teen
that would not have been available had they been in school. These teens
have shown that they have a higher dropout rate than those that were not
suspended. (Warner 3). Amongst these dropouts, there is a very high number
of criminals. Nationwide, almost 70 percent of state prison inmates have not
received a high school diploma (Warner 5). Completing school has a major
impact on an individuals life. Dropping out, and the manner in which
mistakes are handled all affect a youths future.
Upon suspending a problematic student, the youth is then faced with
opportunities to make mistakes that are unsupervised out in the public due
to too much free time. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study
found that out-of-school 12- to 19-year olds were more likely to be involved
in a physical fight, carry a weapon and engage in risky behaviors like drug
use (Warner 5). When a youth gets into these kinds of legal troubles,
detaining that individual is a must, but incarcerating them in a jail cell is not
always the best answer. There have been many new studies done that have
shown that working with a troubled youth and helping them get back on the
right track in life has been far more productive than solely placing them in a
jail cell.
Alternate forms of punishment for juvenile delinquents should be put
into play. With all of these studies showing the negative effects that
incarceration has on a youth, something needs to change. Advanced training
for parents would help deter the childs actions greatly. When children are

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problematic, a majority of the time, parents do not know the proper steps to
take to get them on the right track and keep them there. Incarceration is not
always the right answer. Counseling for the youth could also benefit them
greatly. Some underlying problems lead an individual to act out in ways that
are not appropriate. Attending counseling as a family would also benefit not
only the child, but the rest of the family as well. Strong family ties tend to
give a youth comfort and helps them feel as if they will not be judged by
their problems. When some youth cannot find comfort in their families, they
sometimes turn to gangs for guidance.
Gang violence is very prominent in larger cities. Juveniles that are
looking for a substitution for their family life that they are lacking often turn
to the gang life. They have a sense of brotherhood and protection with their
fellow gang members. These gangs are not always bad. Some have many
positive effects on the community. They provide security, and keep the
neighborhoods safe from gangs from other cities. They also have a high
crime rate. While keeping the community safe from outside gangs, there are
often times that some of the gang members commit crimes against the
community that they are supposed to be protecting. Drivebys, robberies,
and murders are not always gang on gang acts of violence. Innocent by
standers are often involved in these incidents. When these incidents occur,
the chances of incarceration are increased. Younger gang members are
normally the ones that are going through with the violent acts in order to
prove themselves to the gang that they are either in, or trying to get into.

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The younger crowd tends to be more susceptible than older individuals. Gang
violence also seems to be in lower class neighborhoods more so than in the
wealthier neighborhoods. Family and school can all prevent gang violence
from happening. When a child feels the need to look for love and protection
from an outside source, things could always be better.
More time spent with family members can keep a juvenile from
becoming a delinquent. Family problems often cause a huge decline in a
youth's positive actions. Drug use in families, single parent homes, and
abusive situations all are key factors in a healthy family life. These types of
problems are more prominent in lower income leveled families. Poorer
families often get less family time due to hours they have to work in order to
provide for their families. The free time that they do get can be spent on
their loved ones in order to keep them safe and out of harms way. Staying in
school has a major effect on these childrens lives. More structure in that
aspect of their life will also play a huge role in keeping them out of jail.
Poverty can affect achieving The American Dream, can it does not have to
prevent it from happening.