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What you said

In a recent poll on goodtoknow 53% of you blamed parenting for youth crime, but what do the experts say?

Cathy Smith an adolescent psychiatrist believes it's society's responsibility as well as the parents' responsibility to bring up kids. 'Being a parent is a tough job and not a job, that as a society, we value too much. Women feel pressured to go back to work and childcare can be hard to find and expensive. We need better childcare as well as more trained professionals that understand child and teenage behaviour,' she adds.

Many young people say that the reason they carry weapons is because they are scared of being picked on or attacked. They admit to carrying a knife or gun for self defence - they don't intend to use it but things get out of hand and they end up hurting themselves or someone else.'

'Alcohol and drugs have a part to play in this too,' says Cathy. 'If you're carrying a weapon and you're drunk or high on drugs your awareness and inhibitions are impaired.'

Why do kids carry weapons?

The Rainer Crime Concern charity works to reduce crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime. Jane Edmonds from Rainer Crime Concern says: 'More young people are carrying knives because they think it keeps them safe. It's a growing problem and while we would agree that law enforcement has its place we need to get to the root of the problem too.'

Is it society's fault?

As hard as it is to hear, many professionals that work with young people don't believe that tougher prison sentences are the answer.

'It's a cultural problem,' says Morris Samuels, youth worker and project manager of Nottingham's Unity Project. 'We've got a conflicting culture here. On the one hand we promise people that if they work hard and get a good job they can earn loads of money, buy a house and provide for their family but the truth is, even decent, hard-working professional people are struggling.

If you're a 16-year-old kid who's been in trouble and done some time inside then a few years later, after trying the straight and narrow, you're offered a load of cash for a crime, you're going to take that chance because you're not scared of prison anymore. You've been there, done that and making enough money to live the decent way is tough.'

By Louise O'Connell

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