Report: Critical Evaluation of News Portrayal of NZ Youth Crime

This report presents a critical evaluation of news articles concerning youth crime in New Zealand, drawing on the provided articles and relevant literature. The analysis delves into the factors contributing to teenage crime, including economic conditions (poverty, unemployment), family structures (parental involvement, supervision, communication), and individual factors like teenage depression and the pursuit of fun. The report highlights that family supervision plays a vital role in preventing youth crime, though effective parenting requires a nuanced approach to guide and monitor children's activities. The author emphasizes the need for early intervention, such as counseling, and school-based programs to educate teenagers about crime and its consequences. References to academic research are used to support the argument that a comprehensive approach involving both family and societal interventions is essential to address the rising issue of teenage crime in New Zealand.

Part B
Critical Evaluation of News Portrayal
Critical evaluation is an important step in research as it helps in studying the stated fact with
other relevant evidences so that is arriving at a suitable conclusion is possible. Here too, all the
news articles that have been listed in Part ‘A’ are going to be critically evaluated so that the
conclusion of the proposed research study is relevant and applicable and can be a source of
quality literature and further research study (Preston 2015).
In the first article three teenagers were arrested for getting into fight in train and then at another
time of robbing a group of people who were on their way to West Coast Road. The article took
people by surprise because the arrested criminals were teenagers, not more than 16 years of age.
In the second article we see the young guys stealing the car then again in the third article two
teenagers are charged of murder of a 54 year old man and then we have the case of 14 year old
Hanara. The fact that the teenagers in New Zealand are increasingly getting involved in crimes is
an indication of not one factor but several factors combined. Sometimes, it is one factor or two or
more than one. There could be cases where the reasons are quite complex. The literatures in
criminal psychology have played a great role in understanding the crimes. Thus, the solution and
ways to reduce it also becomes easy and with joint efforts there can be changes brought to see a
positive trend in teenage crime at present (Brickell 2017).
The very first reason that can be cited for the increasing youth crime is the economic situation.
Under this heading, there are again three more sub divisions that have been found- poverty,
unemployment and political scenario.
Poverty is more applicable to countries that are under-developed or is developing but here in
New Zealand we cannot really bring in poverty as the main reason because the poverty rate here
is not as bad as some of the Asian and African countries. What can be really brought into
consideration here is the low economic condition that does not suffice for the happy living. Thus,
the teenagers resort to crime (Beals 2017).

Unemployment is an important factor that has resulted in the crime but the question of
unemployment being the vital reason for the crimes in teenagers is slightly hard to apply and this
reason could be taken into consideration in the late-teenage rather than the age of kids who have
been mentioned in the new article in part ‘A’ of the research (Galasso et al 2016).
Family structures have gone to play an important in determining the teenage crime. Agreed upon
by most of the psychologist, this is an important factor that may be said to contribute to the
increasing crime in the teenagers in New Zealand. There are certain reasons that are involved
here. First could be parent’s involvement in the crime. If parents are involved in crime, chances
of children adapting the same traits or developing the same tendencies are quite high (Harding &
Palasinski 2016).
The parental supervision is also a strong reason for the teenage to continue doing what they think
is going to be adventurous or get them some advantages. Parental supervision is important in
guiding the children and having a strict planned out watch on the children. It is going to help in
solving this rising issue in New Zealand by leaps and bounds. Often there is lack of
communication, presence of family conflict and family abuse which aggravates the problem and
this has resulted in increasing number of teenage crime, again (Ali 2008).
Teenage depression is a rising factor worldwide. The teenagers in third news article about
murder in Auckland motel were living a semi-transient life and had left school at the age of 7.
The fact that they were having not the regular teenage may have culminated into the rogue
disposition that they showed by mercilessly killing the man aged 54.
There are cases of teenage crime where none of the above mentioned reasons can be found and
the sole reason is that of the fun that teenagers are obsessed to have. There is certain amount of
rejoice that is felt in committing crimes especially the ones where it is about monetary gain or
something that is going to give access to other sources of fun in life like the car that the teenagers
stole and alcohol that Hanara wanted to steal in article 4.
Personal Reflection on the Finding
Based on the literatures that contributed reasons in the above section, I personally feel that it is
the family supervision that plays an important role in keeping the children away from the crime.

However, one cannot claim that a good parenthood is bound to keep the children away from all
kinds of crime. Often the parents are not well aware of behaviour that they are supposed to have
or grow as their kids reach the teenage. While commonly it is known that children never grow
older for parents, it is important that patents take a more real attitude/approach towards children
and involve in systematic behaviour that is well suited for providing guidance and keeping a
watch on the activities of the children. The parents, if they take effort, can prevent the criminal
development if they truly understand the ways it takes shape. Here, any kind of tendency in the
kids must be taken care of with the help of counsellor before the matter goes out of hand.
The fact that the crime rate in teenager are going high because they are inclined to having fun
can be dealt with in school with adequate guidance and classes that are particularly devoted to
informing them about the teenage crime that is taking place in New Zealand and which is a
matter of great concern.

References
Ali, M. (2008). Youth Crime: Causes and Remedies.
Harding, S., & Palasinski, M. (Eds.). (2016). Global Perspectives on Youth Gang Behavior,
Violence, and Weapons Use. Information Science Reference.
Beals, F. M. (2017). It is not Just Empowering: The Implications of Applying Psychological
Reasoning in Explanations of Youth Crime. US-China Education Review, 7(11), 493-
505.
Brickell, C. (2017). Teenagers: the rise of youth culture in New Zealand. Auckland University
Press.
Preston, N. (2015). Restorative Practices, Affect Script Psychology and the Social and Emotional
Aspects of Learning. The Psychology of Restorative Justice: Managing the Power
Within, 65.
Galasso, E., Wagstaff, A., Naudeau, S., & Shekar, M. (2016). The economic costs of stunting
and how to reduce them. Policy Research Note World Bank, Washington, DC.