#alex piquero

“I was involved in that lifestyle not by choice, but because I felt I was condemned to that lifestyle,” said Jordan Henderson, a North Dallas 18 year old who’s been involved in drugs and criminal activity. “I basically had no visible hope. I thought to myself, this is the lifestyle that everybody before me shows, this is the lifestyle that everyone around me is doing and this is the lifestyle I have to choose.”

Growing up in neighborhoods riddled with drug abuse, gangs, violence, and little education or parental support, it’s easy to lose hope. A University at Dallas study of over 1,300 serious juvenile offenders found that teens who expect to live longer were significantly less likely to repeat criminal activity.

It makes sense: teens who don’t see themselves living long enough for a career, family, or even escape from their current situations don’t care about the long term effects of a criminal record. “We all up in jail or dead,” said Henderson. All the adults he knew had no higher education, and many dealt drugs. “In many of our interviews with these kids, they basically said, ‘I’m not going to make it until next week, so why would I even care?’” said Alex Piquero, the leader of the study.

“These are not teens debating between different colleges, or different cities where they might live after college, or different careers once they get there,” said Emily Badger of the Washington Post. No: These are teens debating how they and their families are going to make it through the next week, and crime can make things temporarily easier.

Ultimately these at-risk teens need what everyone needs: someone who believes in them and provides encouragement and support. “It’s not a bleak thing,” said Piquero. “We can turn some of these kids around if we give these opportunities and we give them these consistent messages.”