How to punish teens who commit crimes needs careful consideration. Photo / 123rf
How to punish teens who commit crimes needs careful consideration. Photo / 123rf
OPINION
Do you remember your teenage years?
I do. And sometimes I wish I didn’t.
Don’t get me wrong, there were wonderful times. But there were also times when I was an utter fool, risking life and limb for, what, kudos?
Stuff like jumping from heights where I could havebroken my legs, swimming at beaches and rivers way beyond my mediocre abilities, or pretending to be fearless in situations when I was physically threatened by someone far bigger and stronger than I.
The easiest way to get me to do something stupid was by implying I was scared or weak – I couldn’t bear to be thought of as a coward.
Thankfully, I never got seriously injured.
And I’ve always been too much of a goodie-two-shoes to get into too much real trouble. But there’s just something about being a teenager, especially those earlier years, that makes you far more likely to take risks.
I didn’t engage in this kind of risky behaviour because I thought I was invincible, as is popular rhetoric, or because I didn’t think of the consequences. When I jumped off a roof, for example, I knew darn well how dangerous it was and I did it anyway.
And the resulting painful ground shock was enough to convince me not to do it again.
Why do teenagers behave like this?
According to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Centre for the Developing Adolescent, teenagers are more likely to lean into risk and uncertainty than children and adults – and it’s an essential part of learning.
“Being able and willing to take risks is a part of our natural tendency to explore new things in adolescence—in ways that help us discover who we are, expand our skills, and ultimately leave the safe nest of home.”
The centre says adolescents recognise and identify risks clearly, but they are more willing than adults to gamble on an uncertain outcome because of the “feel good” chemical dopamine.
Dopamine is an important part of learning and motivation because of how the brain processes rewards – a surprising or unexpected reward causes an extra dopamine release.
“Because adolescent brains release more dopamine compared to children or adults, adolescents are more sensitive to the rewards and good feelings that come from surprises and new experiences.
“In general, the adolescent reward system is more excited by risks (compared to children or adults) which tends to make young people more interested in exploring.”
The centre says an audience of peers amplifies that reward response.
Social media gives teens access to a large audience of peers. Photo / 123RF
What does that all mean? I’d sum it up as: Teenagers take risks because it feels good. And if other teenagers are watching, that “rush” is amplified.
Last year there were 81 ram-raid burglaries in the Bay of Plenty.
Since January 2022, police have prosecuted 256 people after ram raids, and a further 63 youths were referred to Youth Aid (which deals with under-18s).
Two business owners, one who owns an appliance store in Te Puke and another who co-owns a liquor store in Rotorua, say young offenders especially should face harsher consequences.
I do agree, to an extent.
I think there should be penalties for any child or teenager who knowingly participates in criminal activity, even the very young.
But I think it should be done in a way that a) encourages them to feel remorse, b) helps them to make amends, and c) doesn’t give them an extra dopamine boost by, say, introducing them to a new circle of peers who may facilitate further negative risky behaviour.
Punishments are the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, aren’t they?
Punishing offenders may make the victims feel a little better, but I believe it would be far more effective to look at why so many young people got involved in such serious crimes in the first place, and try and turn that around.
Children from wealthier families have more opportunity for positive risk-taking. Photo / 123RF
I’d love to know how many of these children came from rich families, for example. I’d be pretty confident placing a bet that a high proportion of them come from struggling families.
Children who come from higher-income homes have more opportunities for positive risk-taking.
Those kids can afford to play weekend sports. Their parents can take them rock climbing or on ski trips. They can stay late after school and rehearse for the school production.
They can learn an instrument or take dance lessons and perform in front of a crowd.
They have positive ways to earn that dopamine rush, ways that don’t necessarily get them in trouble with the law or have a chance of damaging their future prospects.
Now, I’m not saying that all underprivileged children will turn criminal, or that all wealthy children are law-abiding citizens. Definitely not.
But it’s my opinion that an underprivileged adolescent weighing up the risks and rewards of a dangerous ram raid may decide they have more to gain than to lose.
Kudos may not pay the bills but boy, do they feel good to earn.
Sonya Bateson is a writer, reader and crafter raising her family in Tauranga. She is a Millennial who enjoys eating avocado on toast, drinking lattes and defying stereotypes. As a sceptic, she reserves the right to change her mind when presented with new evidence.
