Author's past mirrors current youth crime crisis, highlighting systemic neglect
A 1971 article by Alfredo Gómez Morel, "Why I Became a Delinquent," offers a stark first-person account of marginalization, poverty, and violence experienced by abandoned children and adolescents. Morel details his life of delinquency, starting with abandonment by his parents and subsequent placements in orphanages and reformatories, which he describes as academies for crime. He recounts experiencing and witnessing severe abuse within the juvenile system, noting that attempts to improve conditions were met with political indifference. His journey continued through the criminal justice system, which he likens to a university for further criminal education.
Morel's narrative, written 55 years ago, resonates with contemporary issues of youth crime, drug use, and violence, although the scale and organization of criminal groups have evolved. The article draws a parallel to the recent tragic death of 12-year-old Alejandro Águila, who was killed during a carjacking by a group including minors. This event has reignited political debate, with some proposing to lower the age of criminal responsibility. However, the piece argues that such measures, often driven by public outrage and political opportunism, fail to address the root causes of juvenile delinquency, primarily abandonment and systemic neglect.
Former Minister of Justice Hernán Larraín is cited, highlighting the limitations of current adolescent justice laws for those under 14 and noting that harsher adult-like penalties in some US states have not reduced recidivism but increased it. The analysis points to a concerning demographic trend: in 2024, more children and adolescents entered the National Service for Specialized Protection (156,000) than the total number of births (135,000). This suggests that widespread child neglect is no longer a hidden cultural issue but a growing crisis, creating a fertile ground for organized crime to recruit vulnerable youth, demanding more comprehensive state responses than mere incarceration.
The article presents a historical parallel between an author's early life of crime and contemporary youth delinquency, suggesting that systemic neglect and abandonment remain the fundamental drivers. Political responses, such as lowering the age of criminal responsibility, are critiqued as superficial, potentially exacerbating the problem by failing to address underlying social and familial deficits. The demographic data indicating more children entering protective services than being born highlights a critical societal challenge. This situation creates a cycle where vulnerable youth are susceptible to recruitment by organized crime, underscoring the need for long-term, evidence-based interventions focused on prevention, rehabilitation, and social support rather than punitive measures alone. The piece prompts consideration of how societal structures and policy choices contribute to creating environments where such cycles of neglect and crime can persist and even intensify.
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