Upbringing ‘key to youth violence, crimes’
Broken families, peers fuel surge in young criminals, writes Wassayos Ngamkham
Experts are baffled at a proliferation of serious crimes, including murders, involving youths. Some have attributed the causes primarily to broken families, traumatic or improper upbringing, alcohol abuse and peer pressure.
Shocking video footage which circulated on social media last week showed a disabled bread deliveryman falling victim to a deadly brawl with six young men.
Footage of the murder sparked public uproar as the suspects did not appear remorseful after they were detained and brought to a police briefing on the crime. It was reported four of the suspects are children of police officers.
On May 1, Somkiat Sichan, 36, was stabbed to death in the brawl involving six young men on Soi Chokechai Si in the Lat Phrao area. One of the men was also injured in the attack.
The men were later arrested by Chokechai police. The fight erupted after an altercation over a motorcycle accident. The suspects reportedly bullied Somkiat about his disability and his job.
The suspects are Akkaradet Thatsana, 22, an 18-year-old man police did not name, and four sons of police officers: Phiraphon Kerdjapo, 21; Arin Yotphonganan, 20; Mek Phonkraison, 19; and Monmanas Saengpho, 22.
An 18-year-old girlfriend of one of the suspects has acknowledged charges of collusion in the murder. She told police she was with the suspects during the attack but denied she posted a Facebook message threatening the lawyer of the victim’s family.
Acting city police chief Sanit Mahathaworn has promised a “speedy probe”, which will be handled by Chokechai police.
He also assured the victim’s family they had no reason to worry about bias in the investigation because some suspects came from police families.
A day after the clip went viral, the first suspect was detained. Afterwards, four of the six suspects were confirmed to be the offspring of police attached to Chokechai police station handling the investigation.
A preliminary police investigation showed this group of suspects had an altercation with the victim in front of a bread shop. They made fun of his disability and he allegedly argued with them.
After the argument, the victim made his way to a house where the suspects gathered and yelled insults.
The suspects later followed him back to the bread shop where they were seen attacking and stabbing him to death.
The suspects were initially charged with murder and trespass.
The murder gave behavioural experts and police plenty of information to analyse the growing tendency for violence perpetrated by young people.
Speaking generally, Chokechai police station deputy chief Prathuan Malaengthap said many young delinquents came from broken families.
Citing information provided by the Department of Juvenile Observation and Protection, he said a quarter of 36,763 criminal cases in 2013 were committed by youths with troubled family histories.
“What we’ve learned from this latest case is the average age of young criminal suspects is getting lower and lower,” Pol Lt Col Prathuan said.
“There are no other factors to blame but the way these kids have been raised in their families shapes a person’s character and disposition.”
Department of Mental Health deputy director-general Panpimol Wipulakorn said juvenile delinquency usually involves two main factors: alcohol and peer pressure.
While the influence of alcohol disrupts the decision-making process in the youths, the influence of their peers normally drives them into embracing a gang mentality.
When someone in the group does something even though it is wrong, his friends follow suit, Dr Panpimol said.
At the very moment they act together and commit crimes, the young criminals simply aren’t aware of the implications of what they are doing. They cannot control themselves and are unable to calm themselves down, she said.
The young criminals aren’t suffering mental conditions but are facing a troubled psychological development. They are normally pulled back from doing wrong when they anticipate the negative outcome of the violence, she said.
To prevent youths from becoming young criminals, she said, it is crucial to detect their tendencies to become violent and give them a proper psychological intervention.
Experts say this can mean working with the youngster’s family, or contacting his friends or school.