Causes of Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Justice

Causes of Juvenile Delinquency
The causes of juvenile delinquency are many. Some experts would say that juvenile delinquency has its roots in a biological cause. Other experts will assert that the cause is of an environmental nature. In this research paper, the author will examine both theories and present both supporting and contradicting evidence for both theories. However, before he can begin, the author must give a brief history of the juvenile justice system in the United States and how that system has handled juvenile delinquency thus far.
In the days of old, juvenile justice was an unheard of concept. Most nations did not make a distinction between a juvenile and an adult (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). The court systems of early nations simply held the belief that an offender needed to be punished for a crime the same way no matter what the age of the offender. This led to children being punished in the same manner as adults. Early court systems did not recognize that juvenile offenders had different needs and motives than adults (Bartollas & Miller, 2011). It is fair to say that this fact is erroneous in every aspect. This tradition continued into the mid-1800s. In England, for example, “some 160-200 capital offenses were listed in the statutes for which children could be executed.” (Bartollas & Miller, 2011, p. 5). This is an amazing statistic. Knowing that young children could be executed sheds some light on early court systems.
In the mid-1800s, the thinking of the juvenile justice system began to change. In San Quentin Prison in the late-1800s, there was a rise in the number of students enrolled in the prison’s school (Justice, 2000). While this school was intended for the reform of juveniles, it did serve adults as well. This school illustrates that society in the late-1800s