...Abstract Many factors contribute to juvenile delinquency and research has recognized that there is not one single pathway to delinquency. Studies have shown that the more risk factors the juvenile faces the probability of offending increases. The major factors contributing to juvenile delinquency are individual factors, social factors, and community factors. Many people have tried to figure out and understand the factors that lead our youths to commit crimes and what can we do to prevent and rehabilitate them to keep them from committing these crimes again. Juvenile delinquency is one of the most important issues around the world today. Despite the social awareness surrounding the topic, juvenile delinquency is on the rise and needs to be addressed in order to stop our youth from becoming criminals instead of important members of society. There have been many efforts to understand and analyze the reasons that juveniles commit crimes however there is no set reason, but rather several reasons that can lead a youth to commit crimes. Recent research shows that violence among juveniles is rising rapidly and shows that more than 60% of youths will have either been a victim or will have committed a crime sometime during their youth years (Garza, 2011). Research has also stated that the crime rate among juveniles has increases rapidly since the 1980’s and in 2009 youths were responsible for more than 2 million violent crimes in the United States (Garza, 2011). At the same time...
Words: 1800 - Pages: 8
...Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile Delinquency by definition is an underage child that commits a criminal crime or has an antisocial behavior. A big mistake by a lot of people within the United States is considering any child that misbehaves is a juvenile delinquent. There are many factors that contribute to a child heading down a wrong path and becoming a delinquent. A lot of these problems are found within a child’s life. Some factors include family structure, influence of media, and the influence of peers. When looking at juvenile delinquency, you must take into consideration what is going on at home. The majority of young people who become delinquents live in an environment with difficult circumstances. According to an article called Juvenile Delinquency (2003), children who are subjected to watching their parents deal with alcoholism, poverty, family breakdowns, or abusive conditions are usually the quickest to fall into the delinquent categories. Usually when this occurs children find unhealthy ways to cope with their anger or feelings thus leading towards doing drugs or committing crimes. Parents should focus on making sure children have a healthy environment to grow up in to keep family structure from being a key element towards a child starting a criminal career. The media is another factor when looking into the life of a juvenile delinquent. Video games and television shows are filled with crime and violence. Majority of children are introduced to these at a young age...
Words: 707 - Pages: 3
...and more juveniles that are doing delinquent crimes. People wander what causes so many juveniles to do the crimes that they do. Is it because of family, their gender or can it not getting the attention they need. People wander if the gender between the boys and girls has anything to do with the delinquency. Girls become delinquent for a vary of different reasons than boys. A girl can become delinquent based on the biological, social, and cultural differences between the girls and boys. The hormones onset and brain development, to the child's up bringing in the home, to the way a girl is expected to act in public opposed to how the boys are. Boys are taught to take care of themselves, to be more aggressive towards their goals and to act out more angry and retributive fashion than girls do. Boys are expected to mature faster than girls and are mainly raised by parents that they are to take care of the home. Does families have anything to do with delinquency? Researchers shows that family structures plays a huge part in the characteristics of juvenile delinquencies. In a family, the parents are separated there are less supervision on the children when growing up. Only one parent is present, that parent is doing all the work to provide the household with the income that is needed to take care of the home. The parents usually doesn't know where the children are and what they are doing. The fact of low income housing, where crimes are high, have some to do with the juvenile delinquencies...
Words: 788 - Pages: 4
...Abstract Juvenile Delinquents are also known as youth crime. Juvenile Delinquency is an illegal behavior by a minor under the age of 18. There have been many studies on families with children that commit crimes. If juvenile crimes not prevented at an adolescent age, these children are more than likely going to become greater criminals when they are adults. It has been proven that intervention at an early will more likely prevent the child from committing at an adult age. If a child proceeds in criminal activity they are likely to become violent not only to themselves but to innocent people in their destructive path. Juvenile crimes do not affect just one race. It doesn’t have a sexual preference either. Young men are though known to be more aggressive than young woman. Younger siblings of older siblings are also at risk for crimes because they will follow in their footsteps. There is known preventative actions for children that start to show signs in behavioral actions. Causes of Juvenile Delinquents There are many reasons why young children become juvenile delinquents. For instance, fetal substance exposure, prenatal difficulties, an abusive and violent families are all factors of poor executive functioning. Poor parent supervision, criminal parents, low intelligence, and low educational attainment are other frequent precursors. Early onset antisocial behavior has more severe outcomes than antisocial behaviors that occur later on and...
Words: 967 - Pages: 4
...country, a juvenile develops into adulthood within the years of 15 to 18; during rare occasions during cases of murder and other severe criminalities the age has dropped below the standard adulthood ages. Delinquency entails action which doesn’t adapt to the legitimate or ethical values of society; generally applying merely to doings that, if executed by an adult, would be labeled as illegal (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica). What incites a teenager in becoming criminal and causes them to lean towards this standard of living? It is necessary to explore in what way does domestic life effects juvenile crime. There is a possibility that juveniles will become delinquent when is a lack of a structural foundation is furnished within the home they reside. Children who experience rejection, conflict or inadequate supervisor, may become more of a delinquent than children who do not experience similar encounters. Some writings have focused on the connection between child abuse and juvenile delinquency; which pointed out that juvenile delinquents are frequently created within families that were knowingly or insentiently neglecting their child’s needs (National Institute of Justice, (14 Mar 2011)). Kids can learn deviant values from their parents, relatives or peers (Siegel, Larry J. & Welsh, Brandon C. (2008)). In the United States, 14.4% of male inmates and 36.7% female inmates were mistreated during adolescent. Today, the problem as it relates to juvenile crime has become an increasing...
Words: 822 - Pages: 4
...Asharian Moore Individual Theories In today’s society, we have two types of juveniles that re being brought up in this world, the ones who make wise decisions and the others who have and I do not care attitude. The ones who make wise decisions want to be successful and an up right citizen of society while the other ones are complete opposite and would rather spend his or her time planning crimes. There are many reasons why juveniles make the decisions they do and it varies from boredom, their upbringing, and the groups they have chosen to hang out among, these groups may peer pressure one into committing a crime, while other groups are busy studying and getting ready for their futures. We as society have to figure out why these groups of juveniles decide to make the wrong decision and become involved in petty crimes. We need to gather information on why juveniles choose to involve themselves in criminal activities; there are many theories to this question. One of these theories is Biochemical; this can govern an individual’s behavior and personality, “including levels of aggression and depression” (Siegel and Welsh, 2009, p. 81). Biochemical can happen from the time the individual is conceived if their mother has taken harmful substances while being pregnant. While the mother has been using harmful substances she has also damaged her baby, this can lead to antisocial behavior in juveniles. An individual may even have certain chemical imbalances such as: sodium, mercury...
Words: 769 - Pages: 4
...Juvenile Shoplifting Jean Powell Wayland Baptist University Abstract Juvenile shoplifting is becoming a serious crime. Juveniles commit this crime for many different reasons. Social influence plays a big part in why most juvenile commit the crime of shoplifting or also knows as stealing. Influence from peers can become overwhelming to where a person feels as if they have to steal to feel accepted. Economic reasons can also cause a juvenile to shoplift. Families today are struggling and juveniles don’t understand that their parents just don’t have the money for the certain things that they want. This often leads them to shoplift so that they can have the items like their peers have. There are also psychological influences that play a part in juvenile shoplifting. There is a disorder called Kleptomania, which causes the juvenile to shoplift. Shoplifting can become an addiction and this causes the person to commit the crime more often so that they can receive the rush. There are many factors why juveniles commit the crime of shoplifting. Juvenile Shoplifting Juveniles today are under more pressure than ever. The pressure to fit in and to be accepted among their peers is very important. This causes many juveniles to commit the crime of shoplifting. What are the common reasons that juveniles shoplift? Social influence can cause a juvenile to shoplift so that they feel accepted or to get attention from their family and friends. Negative influence from...
Words: 2661 - Pages: 11
...Juvenile sentencing guidelines are designed to establish a process through which juvenile offenders have the opportunity to access a variety of resources to allow for rehabilitation and being let back into the community as a law abiding citizens.Up until the mid-point of the 20th century, the sentences imposed on juveniles in the court system were similar to those just like adults convicted of crimes. Sentences given to juveniles emphasized punishment over rehabilitation during this time period. Ultimately, juvenile sentencing changed from punishment to rehabilitation, something that continues to this day. This is an introduction to Juvenile Justice in America. Since the 1990s, youth crime rates have gone up . These falling crime rates have led many jurisdictions to rethink the juvenile justice practices that happen in the 1980s and 1990s. Today, states are using major reforms designed to reduce institutional confinement, closed old 19th century era reform schools, and expand community-based interventions.In the late 18th and early 19th century, courts punished and confined youth in jails and penitentiaries. Since few other options existed, youth of all ages and genders where often confined with hardened adult criminals and the mentally ill in large overcrowded institutions. At the same time, American cities were dealing with high rates of child poverty and neglect putting pressure on city leaders to find a solution to this growing social issue. In response, reformers Thomas...
Words: 3182 - Pages: 13
...In today’s society, we have two types of juveniles that re being brought up in this world, the ones who make wise decisions and the others who have and I do not care attitude. The ones who make wise decisions want to be successful and an up right citizen of society while the other ones are complete opposite and would rather spend his or her time planning crimes. There are many reasons why juveniles make the decisions they do and it varies from boredom, their upbringing, and the groups they have chosen to hang out among, these groups may peer pressure one into committing a crime, while other groups are busy studying and getting ready for their futures. We as society have to figure out why these groups of juveniles decide to make the wrong decision and become involved in petty crimes. We need to gather information on why juveniles choose to involve themselves in criminal activities; there are many theories to this question. One of these theories is Biochemical; this can govern an individual’s behavior and personality, “including levels of aggression and depression” (Siegel and Welsh, 2009, p. 81). Biochemical can happen from the time the individual is conceived if their mother has taken harmful substances while being pregnant. While the mother has been using harmful substances she has also damaged her baby, this can lead to antisocial behavior in juveniles. An individual may even have certain chemical imbalances such as: sodium, mercury, potassium, and iron. This can lead...
Words: 756 - Pages: 4
...debate as to how to properly handle juvenile delinquency has caused quite the predicament amongst society. There has been an ongoing debate as to whether the best ways to handle deterrence against juvenile delinquency were to be punishment or rehabilitation. As the time changes, the views have switched their focus going from believing in the value of punishment to seeking the importance of rehabilitation. Without taking away punishment altogether, I believe that society should have a stronger focus on rehabilitation. Contributing factors such as psychiatric evaluation, therapy, work options, community volunteering, and education can help the dynamics of handling juvenile delinquency. Without those things, our society would not be deterring crime for the future but rather we are focused on just the simple solution for the ‘right now’. The cost that is needed to incarcerate anyone is expensive enough as it is. Why would we make society pay more to keep juveniles incarcerated rather than just use that money to help them become the normal outstanding citizens that can in turn help society? Not to mention the overcrowded problem that we have within the jails and the prisons. The proper program given to the appropriate youth can help cut the cost that is spent on incarceration. An article that has mention the proper using of rehabilitation for juvenile delinquents stated, “Developmental issues are also likely to influence the types of problems juvenile offenders experience. Younger adolescents...
Words: 1401 - Pages: 6
...Juvenile test two chapter 3 & 4 9) What role does the family play in juvenile delinquency? Poor family structure and lack of communication plays negatives role in juvenile delinquency. 11) What role does the social environment play in juvenile delinquency? Children live what they learn and apart from the family, social groups are the second most influential group a juvenile has around him/her. The path they chose will likely determine their values in life. 13) What role does education play in juvenile delinquency? Poor physical environment, negative atmosphere and a poor curriculum adds to juvenile delinquency. 14) What role does behavior and lifestyle play in juvenile delinquency? Juveniles who exhibit stubbornness, minor aggression, and chose to lie rather than tell the truth, and whose parent not living a healthy lifestyle will more than likely end up as a delinquent. 15) How does lifestyle affect opportunity and outcomes for juvenile? A juvenile who adopts a criminal lifestyle will eventually end up with a criminal record that will limit his ability to become successful in life. 1) What are the major difference between the classical and the positives school of criminological thoughts? Classical school believe that juveniles choose to commit a delinquent act while positive school believe that poverty and poor education cause a juvenile to commit delinquent acts. 2) According to the choice theory, why do juveniles commit delinquent acts? They commit crime because they...
Words: 349 - Pages: 2
...Causes of Deliquency Essay Heather Ross CRJ340 Juvenile Deliquency Dr. George Ackerman August 10, 2014 Siegmund Feud as well as Bowlby and Ainsworth, Glueck and Glueck all developed Attachment theories connecting delinquency to early childhood detachments from parents, or difficulties that were not conquered during childhood. These theories surmise that there is a connection between personality formation in childhood and that of subsequent criminal behavior. Freud believed that mental disturbances triggered by dissention between the id, ego and superego influence criminality – or inappropriate fixations during one of the stages of development. The id is a part of the unconscious that holds all the urges, impulses including the libido. The id limits response to the pleasure principle – meaning if it feels good do it – and does not respond to anything else – it is like a “devil” on a person’s shoulder goading them to do the wrong thing. The ego is the solitary part of the conscious personality. The awareness of when a person thinks about themselves and what they try to project to others is their ego. It is dominated by the reality principle and acts as a perpetual mediator to demands of the id and prohibitions of the superego. The superego is a part of the unconscious that is the “angel” on a person’s shoulder acting as the voice of conscience and also the origin of self-criticism. Freud suggested that we go through several stages of development that are motivated...
Words: 917 - Pages: 4
...Prevention Jermaine Thomas CJ 3308 Juvenile Justice University of Houston-Downtown Causes of Delinquency and Methods of Prevention Introduction Juvenile delinquency is a term used to describe illegal acts committed by individuals in society younger than the age in which the government recognizes as him/her as an adult. In America, the general rule of thumb for labeling a person as a juvenile is any person between the age of 10 and 18. However, this does vary slightly from state to state. An act committed by a juvenile can only be considered delinquent if the same act is punishable if it were to be committed by an adult. Other violations of rules such as curfew violations and underage smoking are considered age-restricted violation as opposed to being labeled as a “delinquent act”. Juvenile Delinquency has always been an issue in the criminal justice system. A study done by Sharma, Mishra, & Kumar (2013) found that the average age of juvenile delinquents was 16.20 years of age, and the average age of non-delinquents was 16.5 years of age. Furthermore, of the delinquents, most of their crimes were committed at the age of 14.84 years of age. The creation of the juvenile justice system in 1899 in Chicago was a way of dealing with this growing problem. Since then, the juvenile justice system has been very useful in helping to evaluate, rehabilitate, and if necessary, punish juveniles that commit delinquent acts. However, the issue of juvenile delinquency has continued to be...
Words: 2056 - Pages: 9
...Historical Explanations for Female Juvenile Delinquency Introduction: The study of female juvenile delinquency is a relatively new area that has only just started to receive the proper attention. Even though men and women are different in many ways, it was only within the last century that there have been serious efforts to create a justice system and corrective programs that take sex differences into account. This paper will give a general overview of female juvenile delinquency, then it will describe the different historical explanations of female delinquency, and will conclude with some ideas for how to best deal with and prevent female juvenile delinquency. Background Information about Female Juvenile Delinquency: Official statistics and self-report data indicate that girls are less likely than boys to commit serious delinquent acts and this has been consistent across different time periods and cultures (Hoge et al., 2008). FBI arrest data reveals that no matter which jurisdictions were reporting in any given year, from 1970 - 2006, girls accounted from anywhere between 20 - 30 % of all juvenile arrests. For example, in 2006, there were 1,156,871 arrests of juvenile males and 469,652 arrests of female juveniles (Shoemaker, 2009). Although females have lower reported rates of criminal activity, this doesn't mean that the distribution of offenses is the same for boys and girls. For example, running away accounts for 4-7% of boys’ arrests opposed to 11-28% of girls’...
Words: 2478 - Pages: 10
...enough; they insist that offenders must suffer while they are in prison, but only somebody who has never been to prison would believe that jails are soft places. However, the truth is that the harsher a prisoner feels himself to have been treated, the less of an obligation he will feel to abide by society's rules, and the more likely new victims will be created after his release. Prison is designed for disempowerment. Everyone in jail is vulnerable to a greater or lesser extent. Prisoners live at the mercy of those who are in charge, and of each other, and dignity is a scarce commodity. Various issues occur amongst our local prisons which is why the nation's prison system must be changed because of major problems with the system such as overcrowding, unsanitary conditions in prisons and conflicts between rank and file prison officers. This is why this idea of a new prison system was...
Words: 1556 - Pages: 7
