Why juveniles run away, and what should be done with them when they Research Paper

Why juveniles run away, and what should be done with them when they are cought - Research Paper Example The issue of children running away from their homes has become popular in recent time due to their ever-increasing numbers. It is estimated that about one and a half million juveniles go missing from their homes, of which, only less than 20% returns into their homes (Zhang, Antonio, David & Victor, 2007). They also assert that about 12% of the youths in the united states run away from their homes at least once before they become adults due to various reasons that shall be discussed below. According to Chapple, Johnson & Whitbeck (2004), youths who have problems that are related to academic achievement, police contact, peer involvement shows high levels of juvenile run away. Most of the homes whereby juveniles run away are associated with limited supervision, limited help in schoolwork, limited opportunity to discuss personal problems and lack of emotional support in times of difficulties. Whenever there is limited support from family members, juveniles experience increased depression that leads to negative life that results to run away in search for a better environment to accommodate them. In some cases, families with high rates of runaway children are those whereby the parents are drug and alcohol addicts therefore they have less time to cater for the needs of their children (Sanna., Kimberly & Gregory, 2005). A high percentage of these families are those that give the children less social and economic support as they face the difficulties of growing up into adulth ood. Some parents and guardians are known to abuse their children excessively, leading to lots of discomfort and subsequently runway in search of freedom in the streets or elsewhere (Elizabeth, Andrienne, Gerald, Kathryn, Andrew, Jonathan & Cheryl, 2010). Continuous use of illegal drugs is also associated with the reason why the juveniles run away from their homes. Drug and alcohol abuse is strongly linked as one of the reasons why juveniles