The Prevalence of Blood Offenses Among Children and Adolescents
Children and youth start a few times and the so-called. blood offenses, i.e. inflict bodily harm on comrades until murder. Fights between children are an everyday occurrence that can be an expression of children’s aggression, but also a consequence of a harmless children’s quarrel. It is an exceptional occurrence that a child intentionally inflicts a serious bodily injury on another child or adult or even kills him. Yet the case of a 5-year-old girl who, out of jealousy, slaughtered her sister in a cradle with a knife is known from court records; or the case of a 13-year-old boy who killed his alcoholic father with an ax who abused his mother on a daily basis.
Understanding the Motivations for Violent Behavior in Young People
Blood crimes are more common in adolescents. Rough physical aggression usually serves “guys”, i.e. very insecure, disappointed, disoriented in life, in an attempt to realistically affirm failed young men to show themselves and others that they are still worth something. Attempts at affirmation by brute force are, in fact, always a sign of cowardice and life capitulation. Such motivated forms of young people’s behavior include various types of attacks on peaceful passers-by in secluded streets, attacks on lonely loving couples, group intrusions into “dancers”, provoking fights at youth parties, and the like. With such outbursts, young bullies clearly show how envious they are of their peers who know how to behave in a normal way.
The Case of Josh: A Psychiatric Examination of a Young Offender
The case of young Josh will show us the motivation for the violent behavior of some young people. Returning home at night drunk, Josh and several friends caused a fight with a tram conductor and seriously injured him. He came before a juvenile court. Here is an excerpt from a psychiatric examination that we prepared for the needs of the court during the discussion of measures for the re-education of a young offender.
The Impact of Upbringing on the Development of Juvenile Delinquency
“Josh’s mental traits are largely the result of the boy’s wrong upbringing from the beginning of his life. When he was a small child, his parents did not have enough time for him, so the boy was left to raise foreign people in the nursery and kindergarten. In these circumstances, he did not have enough opportunities for a more intense identification with his educators, so he could not build a strong, resilient personality. When he was with his parents, his father cared very little for him and did not show much emotional warmth for him. This is the reason why the boy could not emotionally connect with his father in a positive sense, but developed a certain aversion to his father’s personality.”
Breaking the Vicious Circle: Preventing the Further Development of Delinquency in Children and Adolescents.
When one considers the various cases of juvenile delinquency, one gets the impression that Bovet is right when he says that the common and basic motive of all forms of delinquent behavior of young people is a strong sense of insecurity. This emotion draws the youth deeper and deeper into the vicious circle: fear – aggression – guilt – fear – aggression. Therefore, to prevent the further development of delinquency in children and youth means to break this vicious circle.
