Social Outcasts and Juvenile Deliquency

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Man was created to be a social being. Individuals always strive to belong to a group for their survival. Man has been known to have a strong liking of belonging to a group and greatly fears to be rejected or isolated (Wever, 2006). Society in some instances is known to reject or even isolate some individuals based on various reasons. Such individuals become unpopular, disliked, and sometimes are hated. As a result the social outcasts as they are simply referred to may develop a low self esteem and have a low social status. Social outcast are also hated, discriminated and persecuted by the society and as a result they may result into being depressed and lonely.

Juvenile Delinquency refers some illegal and antisocial behaviors by persons who are under the age of 18 thus are minors. This means behaviors that would be regarded as crime if done by an adult. Juvenile delinquent refers to those children or adolescent who behave in the said antisocial manner. Some of such behaviors are associated with mental disorders, post traumatic stress disorders, conduct disorders among other causes. Some other times genetic composition and biological make up is associated with juvenile delinquency. Early childhood experience influence behavior. Abusive families may cause some of the delinquent behaviors in children. Different countries have different laws governing the issue of juvenile delinquency. In some countries some offences are punished as though committed by an adult. This depends on seriousness of the crime.

According to social structure theorists, the behavior of a person is greatly controlled by their position in the social structure. Such behavior may be positive or negative depending on how the individual reacts to such (Tunstall). ...

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Tunstall Gordon, Social Based Theories and Juvenile Delinquency: Social Structure, process,

Development, and Conflict Theories. P.4. Available at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/54713471/Social-Based-Theories-and-Juvenile-Delinquency-Social-Structure-Processes-Development-and-Conflict-Theories

Wever Gerda-Rabehl, (2006). Who is the Social Outcast? Social Outcasts and the Vicious Cycles

of Execution. Available at: http://www.suite101.com/content/who-is-the-social-outcast---a4206

World Youth Report, (2003). Juvenile Delinquency. Available at:

www.un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/documents/ch07.pdf

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