Continued
Having eliminated conditioned and compensatory power as arenas in which many of these youths can operate, there is another type of youth who enters our courts too frequently. This is the youth who seeks power in the most blatant and brutal way--the youthful condign power exerciser. This type of power exerciser is often associated with drug sales, enforcement of drug deals, or gang activities. Society says that this is antisocial, Glasser argues that it is irresponsible, and courts say it is illegal. Regardless of its label, within this youth's circles, it is the power to be exercised, and it is sanctioned by the group. The youth can do it, and it makes him feel a sense of competence-a sense of personal efficacy, according to Branden. He finds his niche for acquiring the ingredients of his self-esteem. He is, of course, a danger to all of society; yet, in a very real sense, he is the creation of society because society has not provided the opportunity for him to enter into legitimate means of capital acquisition needed to exercise compensatory power. The exercise of conditioned power is often too remote for him because of his limited skills and the time frame for developing those skills; so that type of articulative, intellectual and moral power is dismissed as being inaccessible.
In sum, when a powerless person attempts to obtain power without the skills to do so, he must either be given the skills or his behavior will be unreasonable, possibly unlawful, and always antisocial. And it is certain that any human being will attempt to acquire power if there is a vacuum that is created because of some parental deficiency or some other reason. This is true because power is one of two interrelated aspects of self-esteem, and self-esteem is crucial for the entire range of human endeavors; it is the single most important key to human behavior. Alameda County juvenile justice system is probably reflective of other juvenile justice systems throughout the nation: our caseload is 80% minority and 20% white. The vast majority of the 80% is African American.
The statistical figures of African Americans
being incarcerated and/or under the supervision of probation or parole
represent a crisis among black youths. These figures are also anecdotal
information about the consequences of low self-esteem. There are those
who argue that these figures indicate that an entire generation of black
youths are being stigmatized and criminalized. The National Center on
Institutions and Alternatives and other groups have developed the
following statistical information:
1. Black males 18-24 years old-600,000 in jails and/or under the court
authority and only 400,000 are in colleges.
2. The National Center on Institution and Alternatives indicates that 1 in 3 black men in California is either in jail or on probation/parole.
3. NCIA also indicates that in California 33.2% of black males 20 - 29 are under some form of criminal justice system control.
4. Nationwide 23% of black males are under the control of the criminal justice system.
5. In California, black children are over represented in out-of-home care. Blacks comprise 7% of California's population and are 38% of the Child Welfare out of home care; 44% of relative placements; 34% of foster care placement, and 30% of group home placement.
These figures are staggering. If we tested for low self-esteem in these numbers, many argue that 90% of those above would show low self-esteem problems and that that low self-esteem was a significant factor in their "antisocial" or "criminal" behavior.
This discussion has centered on some aspects of self-esteem as they may impact on our youths in the juvenile justice system. Indeed, Dr. Glasser 's Reality Therapy had its first application in the California Youth Authority. It is not my contention, however, that all behavior of the youths in our juvenile justice system is because of low self-esteem. Clearly, many of the youths seen in the juvenile justice system have multiple problems. But to overlook (or not value properly) the concept of low self-esteem as a significant cause for some of their behavior would be a mistake. And for those in responsible positions to not address self-esteem issues prior to these youths' entry into the juvenile justice system and while they are in that system, is to compound that mistake. The consequence of that compounding has been and will be that juvenile offenders evolve into chronic criminal justice offenders.
Lest we find ourselves irresponsible in meeting our moral obligation as a society, we should recognize that many of our children suffer low self-esteem (especially powerlessness) and that low self-esteem is often the result of parental neglect and other forms of indifference that can often be harmful. After recognizing this, need obligates us to develop familial, societal and governmental strategies and programs to correct the problems.
Finally, we may not be able to definitively say that the youths entering the court system are the direct and sole result of low self-esteem, but we can say that low self-esteem impacts significantly and negatively on the behavior of youths, and many of the youths entering our system would probably not have entered but for behavior that resulted from low levels of self-esteem.
There is much that can and should be done. There should be family intervention strategies and programs for teaching parenting, esteem building, family preservation, and the entire range of familial/parenting.