FREE ESSAY ON NATHANIEL ABRAHAM, ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION.

NATHANIEL ABRAHAM, ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION.

Nathaniel Abraham was eleven years old when he committed the act of murder. Under a 1997
Michigan law a child of any age may be tried as an adult for severe crimes. Abraham was
the first juvenile to be tried under this statute. Accused in the murder of Ronnie Lee
Greene Jr., Abraham faced first degree murder charges. Now, at the age of fourteen,
Nathaniel has been sentenced to a juvenile facility until the age of twenty-one. Oakland
County Probate Judge Eugene Moore hopes that rehabilitation will put an end to
Nathaniel's criminal activity.
Nathaniel, a black youth from the slums of Pontiac, Michigan, grew up with out a father,
or a strong family unit. He, in turn, never learned the responsibility of his actions; he
was not privy to an upbringing that reinforced positive ideals. Crime & Criminology
describes, in depth, the relation between family and criminal activity in youths. Page
126 (chapter four) sited two relevant facts; 1) Blacks have much higher rates of
illegitimacy and female headed house holds. 2) Blacks have a much higher rate of crime
than their white counterparts. In Nathaniel's case, it can be said that his lack of a
positive role model, or father figure lead to his involvement in criminal activities. His
mother, Gloria, was struggling to raise three children by herself. Nathaniel's father had
left when he was born, leaving her with no one to depend on. The family moved in with an
older couple who offered to help them. With limited supervision Nathaniel was a constant
source of aggravation for his mother. Police reported that Nathaniel was suspected in
over 22 local crimes, ranging from assault to armed robbery. He, in fact, had been
arrested five days before Greene's murder on the charge of robbery. All this by the age
of eleven. In families where there is no male role model a child is far more likely to
become involved in crime. The data that exists suggests a direct correlation between
youths raised without a father and criminal activity.
In conclusion, Nathaniel is a byproduct of the decaying system of family values in the
black community. A child who has never known responsibility or consequence will surely
know no adherence to social and criminal guidelines. Without the benefit of a role model,
specifically a father, a child is at a much greater risk to become a juvenile crime
statistic.
Bibliography
Satistical data from Crime & Criminology, second edition, Harpers Press.