Crime Drugs and Poverty: the New Children of Today

Crime, Drugs and Poverty; the New Children of Today

Megan Washington

Liberty University

Introduction to Human Services Counseling

HSCO 500

Dr. Marston

October 11, 2015

Abstract

There is a link between drugs, crime and poverty in adolescents today. This paper discusses each

problem an adolescent faces in every day life and how they merge together to make the new

children of today. Drugs, crime and poverty can have a long and lasting effect on any one but

when an adolescent has to overcome these obstacles just to grow up and survive, it makes it

almost impossible. Adolescents are the future leaders of our world and we need to be able to

understand their problems and find a way to help them solve them. Adolescents make up one

of the most socially and economically unprotected categories of our population; many of them

suffer from stress, lack of concern for themselves and irritation. Gang activity, murders,

aggravated robberies and other violent crimes are on the rise in the adolescent population.

Crime, Drugs and Poverty; the New Children of Today

Children that live in today’s society face a great deal more obstacles than the children who were growing up fifteen or twenty years ago. Children are doing more and different kinds of drugs, crime rates have increased and the nature of the crimes have become more serious. Children are facing all this and dealing with living in poverty. Growing up is supposed to be a time for learning, fun, socializing and exploring the world around you. When I was growing up the only illegal drug I ever heard anyone talk about was marijuana. Now we have drugs with designer names and children who do them just to say they did. The names have changed and how they are acquired has evolved over time.

Bath salts, marijuana, K2, smarties, heroin, cocaine, inhalants, LSD, shrooms, leapers (amphetamines) and the list goes on and on. To an average person, this is a list of some...