There are many times that children, even when they face risk, reach their adult life without being involved in any delinquent behaviors. There are risk factors that assist in identifying which adolescents the most need help with preventative measures, however, the category of which children may become serious or chronic offenders as an adult cannot be identified. There are criminal behaviors that relate to juvenile justice. There are also parental and family risk factors that are associated with criminal behavior, as well as, developmental theories of delinquencies. Criminal Behavior It has been state that the majority of criminals as an adult were caught up in delinquent behavior when they were children and teenagers. A lot of times children …show more content…
These factors include but are not limited to: social relations, conditions of the community, the level of violence and poverty a child may be exposed to, and racial differences. All of these factors combined, play a crucial role in the way children see their lives and can assist them in a negative way, turn to delinquent behavior. There are various amounts of sociological theories that can be used to describe different ways a child can become, what is known as delinquent. Social Disorganization theory is described as when a community minimizes the chances for a child to advance.. For example, if the school system have higher rates for dropouts, vandalism via graffiti, high poverty levels and so on, this could greatly affect the child (McDavid & McChandless, 1962). Cultural Deviance theories elucidates that due to children living in poverty and deteriorating communities the children tend to turn to delinquent behavior and isolation. The Psychodynamic theory puts emphasis on the fact that a main causes of juvenile delinquency is a child’s abnormal personalities that would have been created and developed in their early stages of life (McDavid & McChandless, 1962). Social Learning theory suggests that criminal behavior is absorbed and learned through having a close relationship with others. This theory claims that children are born good but learned they to be bad from watching other children. This theory states that everyone has the opportunity to become criminals because modern society offers many opportunities for illegal activity to happen, but one has the choice to engage or to not engage in said activity (McDavid & McChandless,
Many theories, at both the macro and micro level, have been proposed to explain juvenile crime. Some prominent theories include Social Disorganization theory, Differential Social Organization theory, Social Control theory, and Differential Association theory. When determining which theories are more valid, the question must be explored whether people deviate because of what they learn or from how they are controlled? Mercer L. Sullivan’s book, “Getting Paid” Youth Crime and Work in the Inner City clearly suggests that the learning theories both at the macro level, Differential social organization, and micro level, Differential association theory, are the more accurate of the two types of theory.
What is important to understand in terms at the difference between the juvenile and adult system is that there is a level of dependency that is created tween the two and the juvenile system focuses on how to help rather than in prison individuals at such a young age. However, it usually depends on the type of crimes that have been committed and what those crimes me for the families and how they impact of the greater society. The adult system distinguishes between dependence and delinquency mainly because there was a psychological transition that occurs with juveniles that is not always a predictor of a cyclical life of crime. However, if an adult is committed to the justice system there can be a dependency of delinquency and a cycle of crime that is more likely to be sustained at that age and level of cognitive ability then in comparison to a juvenile. The reasoning behind this is important is that is focused on maintaining a level of attention to the needs and capacity abilities of individuals living and working in different types of societies (Zinn et al.,
Juvenile delinquency has a history that dates back hundreds of years. Before the 19th century children were tried in courts the exact same as adults were, but it was only the most severe juvenile cases that actually went to trial. Children were put into prisons, transported and even hanged. In 1880, there were 6,500 children under 16 in adult prisons, 900 of which were under the age of 12 (King & Noel, 1993). Before 1900, many social ideologies shifted resulting from industrialization. The United States’ first juvenile court was opened in 1899 in Illinois. It was spearheaded by Jane Addams and many other influential women in children advocacy. Addams and the others wanted to have a separate court for
Criminals are not born; they are created or molded into individuals who participate in criminal behaviors. There are several factors that influence deviance beginning with social structures, generational values and attitudes and social bonding. The concepts of all five theories briefly clarify why criminals partake in deviant activities; however, I believe three learning theories - Social Disorganization, Differential Association and Hirschi’s Social Bonding - best explain how social structures and interactions correlate with the cultivation of criminals.
Youths who have entered the justice system have often been diagnosed with mental disorders or diseases. “A majority of adolescents formally involved in juvenile court have at least one, if not more than one, significant emotional or learning impairment, or maltreatment experience” (Mallet, 2013). The existence of these diseases often effect the juvenile’s stability and ability to make rational decisions. Which may result in them engaging in criminal activities The prevalence of disruptive behavior disorders among youths in juvenile justice systems is reported to be between 30 percent and 50 percent (The mental health needs of juvenile offenders). The difficulties of these disorders are often
...mated that a large percentage of them, juveniles, have drug and/or mental health problems. Another study done by the Department of Justice also showed that about 82% of these juvenile offenders were arrested again within 3 years. The criminal justice system should rehabilitate juvenile offenders instead of treating them like the adult offenders and locking them away in cells until their release date when they are just thrown back into society.
Juvenile delinquency may evolve around many different factors before it becomes a problem for society to solve. Gender and family structure can be a large and underlining cause of why children enter the criminal justice system. By examining the gender and family makeup, one could better understand how to treat a troubled individual.
Mulder, E., Brand, E., Bullens, R., & Van Marle, H. (2010). A classification of risk factors in serious juvenile offenders and the relation between patterns of risk factors and recidivism. Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health, 20(1), 23-38. doi:10.1002/cbm.754
Kids themselves grow on learning and seeing things surrounding them, and if one adult, friend or acquaintance were to show such negative actions, then a child will observe and take upon these behaviors and these experiences will then stay with them as they grow and be used upon situations depending on their problem. Traumatic events can cause a child to mentally break down and cause them to make irrational decisions and choose choices upon delinquent reasons. In many reasons, Juvenile Delinquency is not only a solo act but can be a group act. Individuals who had no one growing up… and they only looked upon their friends and older role models to lead them are tend to stay with those who are their to aid them, whether they be a good role model or a gang leader and etc. Children all in hand and same with humans fear to be alone, and being within a group that can back them up, makes them feel not isolated anymore but wanted. That’s why many kids and youth look upon adults, and if that don’t have that figure that will guide them in the right path, they tend to look upon somewhere else. The “National Institute of Justice MCCord and Conway” says, “Suggested evidence indicates that while research in juvenile delinquency tended to focus on a single actor, crimes committed with one or more co-actors represented the largest proportion of criminal acts”. The question itself is asked, “do negative peer relations lead to delinquent behaviors or do delinquent behaviors lead to negative peer relationships”? It could be both, because on elaborating upon the observation of a child growing up and seeing certain behaviors, or a traumatic event can cause child to go rebellion, or for those who have looked up upon certain friends and peers, and had no one else can lead them to do
One of the best strategies for combating juvenile delinquency is adopting developmental crime prevention program. Developmental crime prevention programs aim to lower an individual’s potential of becoming criminal. The theory that guides these types of programs is that criminal and deviant activity is the result of early life experiences and learning. These programs put an emphasis on what causes individuals to commit deviant acts in order to identify ways that this activity can be stopped (Lab, 2014). A key piece to developmental crime prevention programs is identifying risk and protective factors for offending.
According the Rogers (2013), there are causal factors at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels that can lead youth to engage in delinquent activity. At the micro level, the factors that predict delinquency involve: being male, low educational achievement, low impulse control, childhood aggression, antisocial behavior, and hyperactivity. At the mezzo level, family conflict, lack of family support and appropriate discipline, and negative peer pressure can be risk factors for juvenile. On a macro level, youth that live in poverty or in high-crime urban neighborhoods, and are exposed to violence at home and in their neighborhoods, have a higher risk of engaging in delinquent behaviors. Many poor urban communities often lack adequate schools, which can lead to poor academic performance and students disconnecting from
The social environment of teens holds an enormous influence on how the teens act and behave. Teens are easily influenced by their surroundings and they look to others for guidance. Their behavior results from that of the parent and peer influences. Parents play a particularly influential role in their child’s life and it is up to them to make sure that they are leading their sons or daughters in the right directions. A teen’s peers also play a large role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not around. A teen’s social environment, consisting of family and peers, plays a vital role in their life, therefore becoming the ultimate cause of juvenile delinquency.
Researchers show that a good percentage of adult criminals committed their first offence in their childhood, long before their first conviction. They could manage to escape notice by committing the first offence, which encouraged them to commit further offences till they were apprehended, tried and convicted. However not until we know the causes of delinquency, can measures for its prevention be suggested.
Juvenile delinquency is one of the major social issues in the United States today. Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is when “a violation of the law committed by a juvenile and not punishable by death or life imprisonment” (Merriam-webster.com). Although we have one justice system in America, the juvenile system differs from the adult juvenile system. Most juvenile delinquents range from as low as the age of seven to the age of seventeen. Once the delinquent or anyone turns the age of eighteen, they are considered an adult. Therefore, they are tried as an adult, in the justice system. There are many different reasons why a child would commit crime, such as mental and physical factors, home conditions, neighborhood environment and school conditions. In addition, there are a variety of effects that juvenile justice systems can either bad effects or good effects. Finally there are many different solutions that can reduce juvenile delinquency. As a result, juvenile delinquency is a major issue and the likeliness of it can be reduced. In order to reduce juvenile delinquency there has to be an understanding of the causes and the effects.
There is no one certain theory, regarding juvenile delinquency, that can completely distinguish all the determining factors that makes youth turn to crime; although, the study of all these theories and ideas can bring criminologist one step closer to uncovering the truth about juvenile delinquency. Only the further understanding of juvenile delinquency can help the prevention of future juvenile offenders. This paper will focus on the individual factors of delinquency, as well as the social elements, and provide an explanation of how the combination of the two elements may cause children to engage in criminal activity.