Juvenile delinquency is still a significant problem in society. Juvenile delinquents pose a threat to public safety, damaging their lives and dignity as well as the material and mental well-being of others. As a rule, adolescents are not fully aware of the risks and responsibility for the actions they commit, so their offenses are based not so much on the conscious desire to cause harm as on the emotional excitement and inability to control these emotions. Statistics provide some surprising data on this issue. First, the data reports that, more often than not, all crimes are committed in the middle of the school day or on a weekend evening (OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book, 2018). Second, arrests have decreased every year since 1996, indicating either the effectiveness of prevention services or an improvement in juvenile criminal skills (OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book, 2020). However, juvenile crime rates are still high despite downward trends.
Primary solution
One option for the previously suggested solution is to use arts-based approaches. We will call art any activities related to the embodiment of the creative activity of individuals, be it singing, drawing, sculpture, handicrafts, and any other forms of creative realization of individuals. So, an arts-based approach, including art therapy, is aimed at replacing destructive intentions and emotions in the adolescent, working through trauma, and working on one’s own feelings in order to minimize the likelihood of committing crimes (Perkins et al., 2021). From this perspective, one can imagine art-based approaches as prevention, suggesting that adolescents release negative emotions through creativity in a way that ultimately reduces the need for destructive behaviors. Children from troubled families and orphans are known to be more prone to delinquent behavior (Butterfield, 2018). Consequently, arts-based prevention measures directed toward such children should help reduce the level of public danger in the region.
Summary
It is clear that the proposed approach looks pretty voluminous and requires careful elaboration of the functional aspects. Moreover, one cannot simply decide to use the arts as a juvenile delinquency problem if one ignores the organizational and financial details of this project. For this reason, in the following slides, I will present three different solutions that have been developed in an attempt to address juvenile delinquency using art (Colorni & Tsoukiàs, 2018). These include (i) the creation of a creative activity center, (ii) the mandatory introduction of art classes in schools, and (iii) the implementation of urban sports programs.
Creative activity center
For a region in which we seek to reduce juvenile delinquency, the creation of a creative activity center may be a tactical necessity. Such a solution refers to the creation of a large area physical office where teens come after school or on weekends to participate in individual and group art programs. The division into programs should be voluntary so that each teenager can participate only in those forms of creative activity that catch their attention. However, it should be possible for all individuals to freely attend any form of art that they might find interesting: theater, drawing, music, sports, dancing. In such an institution, there is a system of teachers who lead a class at an allotted time so that teenagers know precisely when to come and what to expect.
Strengths and weaknesses
The strengths of such a solution are hard to overestimate. The creation of a single urban center will not only provide an opportunity for the creative realization of adolescents but also form in their minds an image of an instrument or a solution that will always be glad to help them. So, in any of the problematic situations, teenagers can always turn to art, make acquaintances or spend time alone doing creative work. In addition, for teenagers, such time will be completely free, which increases the threshold of involvement and expands the target audience. On the other hand, creating a one-stop art center will not solve the problem of juvenile delinquency completely, as there is no way to regulate the participation of all teens. A voluntary basis implies personal will, which means that it is impossible to attract those problem teens who do not want to participate in such activities on their own. In addition, it takes time to build such a center (about six months), which does not solve the problem of juvenile delinquency right now. Finally, in the absence of proper marketing, it is not impossible to metamorphose the perception of such a center into a social correction center, which would create a stigma around it.
Outcomes
In terms of positive consequences, an urban arts center will attract more adolescents to creative fulfillment. In the long run, it will reduce juvenile delinquency, as it has been proven that participation in creativity affects it (U.S. Department of Justice, 2020). In addition, it will improve public safety and cultural vibrancy, as the large amount of artwork created by teens can be used for city installations and exhibitions. It is also expected that the urban center will catalyze the development of creative teenagers, which in the long run will improve the tourist image of the city of artists, musicians, and entertainers. In terms of negative consequences, the only problem may be turning the center into a gathering place for teenagers uninterested in creativity. Adolescents are known to like to visit malls aimlessly to spend time together (McDuling, 2020). Against the backdrop of their closure, opening an urban creative playground may become an alternative; as a result, it will cease to fulfill its initial function.
Financial considerations
Since this solution is large-scale, much time, financial and human resources will be required. Renting a commercial space to convert it into a creative center, hiring teachers and administrative staff, marketing costs, and the cost of purchasing equipment will all take a heavy toll on the budget. That said, who strictly is sponsoring the decision is unclear. If we are talking about private founders, these are vast amounts of money for a nonprofit business (Krlev et al., 2018). The solution may be to seek cooperation with authorities and law enforcement, as they have a direct interest in solving the problem of juvenile delinquency. This requires a careful business plan and formulation of a funding project on an ongoing basis to maintain the functionality of the center.
Mandatory art classes at school
A second alternative could be the introduction of art and art classes in schools and colleges for teens on a mandatory basis. In this case, pupils are not specified to attend specific sections, as getting credit for creative lessons will be a compulsory part of the final certification. In this solution, separate creative arts classes would be added to the children’s curriculum, with the student able to choose what he or she wants to attend. Within the school, it could be music, drawing, or dance classes, as well as sports. Unlike physical education and art classes, attendance in the classes being developed will be mandatory but will not put pressure on students.
Advantages and disadvantages
It is impossible not to notice the apparent advantages of this solution. First, the mandatory format of attendance significantly increases adolescent participation and attracts even those adolescents who would not want to engage in the arts voluntarily. Second, the amount of time devoted to school activities is increased, and thus the amount of free time in which teens can commit crimes is reduced. Finally, this approach is also related to students’ creative realization. Among the weaknesses is the possible emergence of a sense of compulsion and the resulting lack of motivation for adolescents to work. In addition, since the only deterrent is academic certification, it is not difficult to imagine that ultimately destructive adolescents who do not even go to school will not attend creative lessons either.
Ramifications of the decision
The negative consequences of such a decision include the possible deterioration of students’ personal experiences with school, which could result in a reduction in the validity of the entire decision (Langbein, 2016). Education is already a significant stressor for adolescents, and the introduction of another mandatory class will affect the development of hatred for school. In addition, competition among familiar students increases in creative fulfillment — children generally do not know how to control their words and actions, so much competition can take the form of bullying, abusive behavior, and even joking. Among the positive consequences, however, are the involvement of the large group in creativity, the possibility of developing hidden talents, and a healthy alternative to idleness among teenagers. In addition, the use of a school psychologist will allow potentially vulnerable families to be identified and prevention work to be carried out in advance.
Expenses
This solution is significantly less costly because it is implemented strictly within the confines of the school. Using vacant rooms eliminates the need to rent space, and only hiring additional staff, art masters and teachers, and purchasing equipment would require a budget. Additionally, but not necessarily, it would be helpful to hire a psychologist who could address emotional trauma and experiences with teens in both individual and group formats. The school principal or city budget is responsible for funding these projects.
City sports events
Strange as it may seem, sports are a pure form of human art because they involve the realization of one’s skills and constant training. In addition, sports are known to be excellent tools for releasing accumulated anger, so the use of sporting events will focus on preventive work with emotions. This solution uses these beliefs to create a program of urban sports activities among teens. Soccer, basketball, tennis, swimming, wrestling, volleyball, and many other sports are just some of the activities that will be implemented within the solution. In fact, we are talking about creating our own training base, on the platform of which the city trains and competes teenagers in various sports.
Benefits and challenges
The advantages of this solution seem apparent: In addition to solving the public health problem by athleticizing teenagers, this program engages children in sports and increases the city’s athletic representation at the national level. Most importantly, of course, the program solves the problem of emotional undercurrents and injuries. Weaknesses include the inability to attract physically challenged teens, the voluntary basis of attendance, and the possible harm to health in the event of sports injuries.
Consequences
The consequences are also realized on two levels. On the one hand, the athletic development of the city is increased, so more experienced athletes can participate in national and international competitions. Tremendous enthusiasm for sports increases the attractiveness of local teenagers and gives them better mental health (Gorczynski et al., 2021). Meanwhile, because of the cult of sports in the city, stigma is likely to develop against overweight people who cannot or do not want to participate in sports.
Financial Outlay
This also requires a high expenditure of resources, since not only the establishment of a training facility but also the implementation of all organizational details, from the formation of training plans to the scheduling of matches and the hiring of independent referees. The purchase of sports equipment will also require significant expenditures. Funding for this solution is carried out in cooperation with the authorities of the city, as the participation of teenagers is again free of charge.
Conclusion
In order to choose the best solution for all criteria, it was decided to use inspection by numbers. In each of the rows of the table is a number showing the strength associated with these items on a five-point scale, from -2 to +2, where +2 is the most substantial impact. According to the classification, the creation of a creative center is the leading solution that will embrace the maximum number of aspects and will actually lead to a reduction in juvenile delinquency. It is recommended, then, that you begin conceptualizing this project, budgeting, and timing as soon as possible since the preparation and construction phases will take a long time.
The main aim of writing this paper is to carry out an examination of a juvenile delinquent in order to understand what pushes them into doing the act and applicable solutions which can be applied to correct the person. The behavior of the person will be compared to one of the theories used in explaining crimes. The next section will give a brief introduction of the person involved. The behavior of the person will be studied as well as the consequences which arise from his antisocial behavior.
The papers will examine reasons as to why the person engages in crimes. This is because some people are pushed by circumstances to engage in criminal activities. In addition, the person’s relationship with their colleagues will be examined. Whether they engage in criminal activities alone or in company of other people is a matter of concern.
How and when they carry out their operations, what are some of the antisocial behaviors which they engage in. In order to maintain privacy, the first name of the person am conducting the study on will be used. This will make it difficult for other people to identify him. In conclusion, I will discuss the effects that environment, family and community have on the individual and how they have contributed to their immoral behavior.
Introduction
The act of engaging in crime for young people (juveniles) between a certain age limit usually ten to fifteen years is known as juvenile delinquency. However, the age limit varies from one state to another. Many countries throughout the world have well established legal procedures of dealing with youths who commit crimes.
For instance, many countries have established youth detention centers in which rehabilitation programs are offered to help the youth change their behavior. It is in these courts that their cases are heard. The court system for the youths is different from that of adults. Many factors contribute to youths going against expectations of the society (Hagan, 2010).
The effects of antisocial behavior among the youths are felt by individual people as well as the larger society. The society should therefore ensure that youths are brought up in the best way to avoid conflicts arising in the society. This can be achieved by ensuring that the society has well established rules and all people adhere to them.
The media is very attentive in displaying crimes committed by youth’s. Morality levels and maintenance of law and order in a country is determined by the rate at which youths commit crimes. A high level of crime is an indication that immorality is high and law and order in the society is not maintained. Juvenile delinquency should be highly controlled because it would increase the rate of crimes in the future.
This is because most of the adult criminals started their behavior during their early stages of life. Acts committed by juveniles are crimes when performed by adults. This paper will focus of factors that contribute to delinquency behavior among the youths (Wilson, Gottfredson & Stickle, 2009).
Introduction of the Person
The study is carried out on the twenty six year old Alex. His parents travelled most of the time during his early childhood before finally settling in Texas after which they divorced. Edward his father a Latin American was a drunkard and emotional militant who believed in corporal punishment. His mother Anna a woman from Polland was non-tolerant to her children and led a depressed life.
Anna was uneducated and she married at an early age. Alex introduced himself to the use of drugs at the age of 12 years. Alex is Brother to Raymond who was short dead at the age of 16 years.
The death of Raymond affected Alex greatly. He resulted to beer taking, use of cocaine and acid among other activities in order to cope with the situation. After some period of continued use of drugs, he became addicted such that he could not do without drugs. Later on he joined a group of street gangs which engaged in criminal activities.
Resulting Consequences
Alex engaged in extremely dangerous activities. He spent most of time hanging along the streets with other gang members during the night instead of attending classes. Alex could not go on with his studies because of his antisocial behaviors in school. He became a threat to other pupils in his class.
It came to the knowledge of teachers and his fellow pupils that he was responsible for most of the things which went missing in school. He stole books and writing materials from other children.
He also ate other pupils packed lunch out of their knowledge. As if this was not enough, he was frequently involved in fights with other children and he was always found to be the cause of the conflict. School life became hard for him and he decided to drop out with the belief that he will obtain general education from outside (GED), (Millie, 2006).
Life was as well difficult away from school. Alex was discharged from the United States Army the drug screening test. The process involves testing of the urine to determine whether the person consumes illegal drugs. His drug screening test turned positive. He returned home and joined a group of criminals who included people of his age and older people. They used to carry out criminal activities together.
Some of the Alex’s criminal activities included alcohol and drug use, writing forged checks and theft. Alex became a drug trafficker. Drug trafficking is an illegal activity which many children engage in. It involves the act of buying and selling illegal drugs like marijuana, cocaine, heroine among others and also consuming them. It is against the law to consume these drugs because they have adverse effects on the health of the user.
The government therefore takes strict measures against people found in possession of these drugs or consuming them. Alex sold drugs to earn himself some money. With time, Alex became a drug addict. He could not do without drugs. Theft and robbery became normal activities with Alex. He stole minor things like clothes from people and sold them at a throw away price.
In the company of his colleagues, they rob big shops, supermarkets and households where they stole goods of high value, caused injuries and deaths to the owners. Car hijacking, kidnapping and arms trafficking were common activities among the group. His actions resulted to various conflicts with law enforcement bodies and he sometimes served short terms in prison as punishment for his cruel activities.
Alex was frequently arrested by the police and spent most of his time confined in correctional facilities. Alex was taken to correctional facilities so that he can change from his bad behavior. However, this did not solve his problem. Immediately after his release, he joined his group and proceeded with his criminal activities (Wood, 2004).
Alex and his group walked around the streets during odd hours of the night. It was so unfortunate to come across such a group of criminals because anything bad could have happened. They robbed, fought and sometimes killed people. His continued use of drugs led to his admission in a health facility Centre.
His mother had found him unconscious in the sitting room as a result of drug overdose after which she rushed him to the hospital. Alex woke up only to find himself in the hospital. Alex was diagnosed with Hepatitis C, Paranoia and Bipolar Disease. This time Alex realized his mistake but it was too late for him. His health is in danger.
Anna is fed up with her sons actions and has thrown him out of the house. Alex is in trouble because he has nobody to support him, he has no skills of his own to earn himself a living and finally he has no believe in himself. Alex is helpless, low-self esteemed and hopeless in life.
Even with continued application of rehabilitation measures, Alex has not managed to stop using drugs. He has chosen to continue taking drugs and classified himself under gypsies.
In addition to the above criminal activities, Alex engaged in irresponsible sexual behavior. Sometimes, he did it out of the influence of drugs. Cases of rape were high among the group. They raped the people they rob as well as the people they came into contact during the later hours of the day.
Alex and his colleagues did not protect themselves while having sexual affairs. Because of this reason, most of them contracted sexually transmitted diseases sometime in their life and Martin were no exception. He severally contracted STDS and visited the doctor who treated him.
However, it was unfortunate for him that he was later diagnosed with HIV and Aids disease. Alex is now hopeless in life. He has no one to take care of him. He needs special medical attention but he cannot afford the high costs (Martin, 2011).
The difficulties that Alex is going through are as a result of his antisocial behavior. He is recently regretting why he joined bad companies, which prompted him into bad behavior. If he could have been wise enough, he could have continued with his studies. Education is important as it is a gateway to quality living. Educated people secure good places in employment where they are well paid (Myers & Farrell, 2008).
Factors Contributing to Alex’s Antisocial Behavior
According to Ryan, Marshall, Hertz and Hernandez (2008), the environment in which children are brought up determines their behavior in future. Parents should closely monitor the behavior of their children and correct them whenever they go wrong. It is therefore important for parents to ensure that they spend most of their time with their children. The responsibility of bringing up children lies on both parents.
Lack of support and cooperation between the parents may affect the growth of the child. In many cases, men tend to neglect their responsibility of bringing up children. In addition to providing for their families, they should also help their spouse’s bring up children in the best way.
In the case of Alex, his father did not take part in bringing him up because he was raise under the care of his mother alone after their divorce. His antisocial behavior resulted from failure of his mother to take full control of his movements. The mother disliked the boy and discriminated against him.
Parents are supposed to be role models to their children so that they can take after them. His father did not set a good example because he divorced his wife. Alex did not have a father to take after his steps. If the father could have been around, he could have helped mould the behavior of his son.
Poor parenting is a major problem in his life. Parents should not show differences between their children while bringing them up. They should all be treated equally. Alex’s mother is an example of a bad parent who favors some children while neglecting others.
Alex’s mother contributed to his antisocial behavior because he made the boy feel that he was less important. John his elder brother was more favored by his parents. Denying him some of his rights like education contributed to his antisocial behavior. John was also ridiculed in school because of the large size of his family. This made his life in school uncomfortable.
High levels of poverty and lack of employment encouraged Alex to engage in criminal activities. Alex lacked the necessities like clothing and he did not have someone to turn to because his mother neglected him. His family was generally poor and his parents had a burden of caring for fourteen children.
This means that children lacked some of the necessities. Alex might have joined criminal groups to acquire the things he lacked. Being young, he could not be employed to earn himself a living. He engaged in harmful activities like theft so that he can get money and satisfy his needs (Ryan, Marshall, Hertz & Hernandez, 2008).
The company that people keep determines the behavior of an individual. Studies have shown that keeping the company of bad people influences good character. Alex’s behavior became worse when he gained the membership to a criminal group.
Due to influence from each other, he went ahead to take part in more serious crimes like shoplifting and car hijacking which he could not do initially. Another contributing factor towards Alex’s antisocial behavior is effects from the use of drugs. Studies have shown people tend to commit crimes under the influence of drugs. Mostly, drug users are violent and the likelihood of causing conflicts is high.
For instance, there are rare incidences in which normal people commit rape cases. There are however many reported cases in which drug users rape even young children. Rape is an inhuman action whose punishment is severe. I suspect that Alex was driven by drug use to commit such crimes. (Ryan, Marshall, Hertz & Hernandez, 2008).
Alex’s parents contributed to his behavior because they did not take the necessary measures to comfort their son after his brother Raymond passed away. They could have advised him on how to forgo his grief over his brother’s death instead of engaging in drugs. Domestic violence which contributed to separation of his parents may be a major contributing factor.
Finally, disunity in the society in which Alex and his parents lived encouraged his criminal behavior. The responsibility of caring for the child is not entirely the work of their parents. Parents should correct children whenever they find them in wrong deeds regardless of whether they know their parents or not.
This will create fear in children not to engage in crimes while away from their parents because they will be punished. Ignorance and lack of education greatly affected his life. Education teaches expected morals in the society which makes it possible for people to differentiate between the right and wrong.
Education makes people understand the consequences of immoral behavior and keep a distance. If Alex could have completed his education in college, the basic knowledge acquired would have been of great help to him. His mother discouraged him by telling him that she could not afford school fees for colleges. This discouraged Alex from working hard in school (Wood, 2004).
Criminological Theories
Social control theories of crimes among the youths associate occurrence of crimes with breakdown, weaknesses and lack of unity in the society. Permissiveness and lack of cohesion in the society is a major contributing factor towards the high rate of crimes among the youths in many countries. They act as motivational theories inspiring the youths to avoid engaging in criminal activities which ruin their lives.
Many youths engage in criminal activities as an immediate source of conflict resolution or gratification. Instead of looking for convenient means of solving problems, many youth resort to criminal activities.
Travis Hirschi, the most prominent social theorist in the 20th century argues that people result to law breaking in order to solve conflicts and therefore, explaining antisocial behavior does not require any special motivation (Hagan, 2010).
Alex’s behaviors can be explained by some of the criminological theories. An example is the broken window theory and social bond theory. The social bond theory was propagated by Travis Hirschi in 1969. The theory was later developed into a social control theory. Historically, social control theory is recognized as an efficient way of explaining and approaching problems arising in the society.
According to Hirchi, social bond theory is composed of four main elements. They include family attachments, commitment to societal and institutional laws like employment and school institutions, participation in activities and strong belief in the importance of these elements.
The theory has its basis in the general theory of crime. According to Hirschi, juvenile delinquents lack societal attachment. Adolescence is a critical stage that requires cooperation so that the society is represented to its maximum.
Because of his behavior, Alex is completely detached from his society. He does not cooperate with students and teachers in schools because his actions go against the school laws.
Instead of keeping the company of responsible people in the society, he engages in destructive activities. Alex does not commit his life to worthwhile activities. Instead of working hard in education to uplift his standards of living, he seems not to worry about it (Millie, 2006).
As a result of lack of his cooperation with other members of the society, he has never been involved in the community’s activities. These include being a member of a religious organization, joining athletic clubs and engaging in community development projects like planting of trees. If Alex could have been a member of a religious group, his behavior could have been corrected.
Religious institutions teach morally accepted behavior in the society. People are taught to live with each other peacefully as well as the importance of adhering to the laws of the society. Alex’s behavior could have been subjected to change if he joined a religious institution. Finally, Alex lacked the belief that he can keep up to the laws of the society. The social bond theory therefore explains his behavior (Young, Dembo & Henderson, 2007).
Dr. James Wilson and George Kelling are the proponents of the broken window theory. The theory is based on the assumption that a society that is not built on stronger laws has a high likelihood of producing many criminals. Based on conservative sociology, the main focus of the theory is maintenance of law and order in the society which leads to social cohesion.
Wilson and Kelling argued that breakdown of neighborhoods; disorderliness and unfriendly atmosphere in the society contribute to crimes and delinquent behaviors. Children need support from their parents and other society members failure to which they will be tempted to engage in crimes to satisfy their needs.
For instance, if they lack food and nobody is willing to provide for them, they will be forced to steal. In addition, the theory is based on the assumption that societies which lack unity and mutual interest witness high rates of crime rates (Moore, 2011).
Wilson and Kelling applied the example of a building whose windows are broken and unrepaired to explain the concept of their theory. The appearance of the house conveys some message to neighbors and passersby by that the owner of the house does not care. In the same way, if the society shows no interest in correcting people with irresponsible behavior, then the behavior will keep spreading further within the society.
It is easy to correct a criminal in the initial stages of their evil deeds than later in life when it has already developed into a habit. The broken window is a metaphor referring to evil deeds in the society like drug use and abuse, theft, loitering in the streets, corruption among other immoral deeds (Bender, 2010).
Broken window theory best explains Alex’s antisocial behavior. The society in which Alex and his parents lived is not well integrated. If her mother had corrected him in the initial stages of his criminal behavior, it would have been easy for him to change. The teacher in the school he was schooling did not take full responsibility on the young boy.
Schools and churches are considered to be institutions in which children are molded into respectable and responsible adults. The teacher should have monitored the behavior of Alex closely. Instead of putting him on frequent punishments, he should have studied him carefully to understand the reasons behind his immoral behavior.
Since Alex stole from children because he lacked the necessities, this is a minor problem which I believe the school institution with the help of his parents could have solved. Criminals begin their activities with minor activities and then keep on advancing. If corrected before it becomes a habit, it’s easy for them to change (Hagan, 2010).
According to Wilson, Gottfredson and Stickle (2009), the positivist school of thought argues that internal and external factors which are beyond human control are the main causes of crimes. Based on the sociological positivism, poverty, membership in groups, illiteracy, unemployment and other societal factors expose people to high risks of engaging in crime.
Studies have shown that the above factors are the main contributing factors towards the high rate of crimes in the modern world. People are engaging in crimes in order to survive.
A study carried out by Adolphe Quetelet to determine the relationship between crime and sociological factors showed that alcohol consumption, lack of education, poverty and gender are leading causes of crimes. Also the study showed that men engage in crimes more than women do.
Population density is also related to crime rates. Crime rates are higher in densely populated areas than areas in which people are few. For instance, the rate of crime is higher in overcrowded cities and especially among slum dwellers.
This is because the resources are not enough to cater for the large numbers of people. Many take up crimes as a means of survival. Social factors contributed to Alex’s irresponsible behavior (Gaik, Abdullah, Elias & Uli, 2010).
Parenting methods determine the behavior of the child. In addition to providing children with the basic necessities, parents should be role models to their children. Alex’s irresponsible behavior is as a result of poor parenting method. The father was no longer there to see to it that his child grew up well.
The foundation of his behavior was weak because he was left in the hands of his mother alone. In addition, he did not receive full parental care. He lacked care and moral support from his father who was away. His family was functionless the reason behind his immoral behavior (Button et al, 2009).
The environment in which he grew up exposed him to engage in crime. In addition to the fact that his parents were poor, his mother discriminated against him. Poverty and discrimination prompted him to steal. Membership in criminal groups influenced his behavior to a great extend. Alex was also under the influence of peer pressure (Montgomery, Thompson & Barczyk, 2011).
Solution to his Behavior
Alex is still young and he can still change from his destructive activities. Changing will be a difficult task but with determination he can succeed. One way is through joining rehabilitation centers in which he will be helped out on how to avoid some of his bad behaviors.
Drug addicts find it hard to stop the habit because it has fully grown within them. Alex will however, be guided on how to do it. Avoiding the company of drug users and ensuring that he commits himself to beneficial activities is one of the solutions (Chabrol et al., 2009).
Alex is still young to join educational institutions. He can join technical institutions in which he will gain skills and knowledge in various fields. Examples of such courses include carpentry, masonery and engineering works. With the knowledge and skills acquired, he will earn himself a living in a better way. Religious institutions may be of great help to him. Churches teach morals and expected behavior in the society.
The teachings of the Bible, the Koran and other holy books encourage people to abide by the societal laws and avoid all kinds of vices. People are taught to love each other in the society, cherish and be cooperative in all activities. Being a committed member in a particular religious group would be of great help to him.
Finally, Alex should seek for guidance and counseling services. He will be encouraged not to loose hope in life, and the necessary measure which he should take to improve the quality of his life. Alex should seek for medical assistance from a health institution where he will get advice on how to deal with his condition (Chanrol et al., 2009).
Societal and Government Measures
Applications of the following measures help in reducing crimes arising amongst the youths. The government should ensure that they have well established rehabilitation facilities where youths will be helped to correct their behavior. Detention should come as the last option after education has offered no assistance. Literacy programs should be channeled to the youths.
Education will equip them with knowledge and skills required to acquire jobs. Getting means of living will discourage theft and other related crimes. Strict rules governing the use of drugs should be put in place. The society should set laws against drug users and other crimes like rape and clearly specify the punishment for such victims. This will create fear among the youths (Galk et al., 2010).
Guidance and counseling should be offered to youths to enlighten them on the expected behavior. Knowing the effects of irresponsible sexual behavior, youths will avoid premarital sex. Rape cases and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases will be minimized. Finally, youths should not be allowed to view violent films in television because this will affect their behavior.
The society should put into considerations orphans and children from poor families when allocating government resources. The government should ensure that such children are funded in academics. This is mainly because children from poor families drop out of school due to lack of school fees. Providing support to orphans and the poor is a limiting measure of crime rates (Doherty, Green & Ensminger, 2008).
Conclusion
Increased rate of crime among the youth is a major problem facing many countries all over the world. The rate of illiteracy levels among the youths is high because most of them engage in crimes and drop out of schools at an early age.
Due to lack of employment, they continue with their destructive activities throughout their adult life. The society should therefore be keen in addressing the issue of crimes among the youths because they are the future leaders. Failure to control them will lead to corrupt and destructive societies in future.
It is a must for conflicts to take place in communities. This is mainly because a society accommodates people from different cultural backgrounds brought up in different ways. Since people are not the same, then problems will always occur.
The most important thing is therefore how to manage problems arising in the society. In conclusion, society should be concerned about the best ways to apply to minimize antisocial behavior among youths in all communities. Education programs should be offered to the youths so that they can be in a position to make sound decisions of what best fits them.
The graph shows the results of a study carried out in the United States of America in a population of 1,000 youths to determine the rate of crimes in the period between 1995 to 2007 (National Centre for Education Statistics U.S., 2009, p.1).
Source: National Centre for Education Statistics U.S., 2009, p.1
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Moore, S. (2011). Understanding and managing anti-social behavior on public transport through value change: The considerate travel campaign. Transport Policy, 18, 53-59.
Myers, D. & Farrell, A. (2008). Reclaiming lost opportunities: Applying public health models in juvenile justice. Children and Youth Services Review, 30, 1159-1177.
National Centre for Education Statistics U.S. (2009). National statistics: Serious violent crime rate in the U.S schools. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, School Crime Supplement (SCS) to the National Crime Victimization Survey, 1995-2007.
Ryan, J., Marshall, J., Herz, D. & Hernandez, P. (2008). Juvenile delinquency in child welfare: Investigating group home effects. Children and Youth Services Review, 30, 1088-1099.
Wilson, D., Gottfredson, D. & Stickle, W. (2009). Gender differences in effects of teen courts on delinquency: A theory-guided evaluation. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37, 21–27.
Wood, M. (2004). Perceptions and experience of antisocial behavior: Findings from the 2003/4 British Crime Survey, Home Office Online Report 49/04, London: Home Office.
Young, D., Dembo, R. & Henderson, C. (2007). A national survey of substance abuse treatment for juvenile offenders. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, 32, 255-266.
Before moving into the aspects of measurement of actions of juvenile delinquents, it is necessary to define and know what a juvenile delinquent is, and what actions fall within the ambit of juvenile delinquency. Generally speaking, it is seen that young people between the “ages of 7-16 years” who commit an act which could be considered as a criminal act, if indulged by an adult, could constitute juvenile delinquency (Frequently asked questions, n.d.).
Persistent and patterned criminal behavior constitutes juvenile delinquency
A stray incident of violence or unrest cannot be termed as JD. There are characteristics of juvenile behavior which envisage that the actions are not random, or off and on, but follow a consistent pattern of negative and violent behavior including truancy, defiance, indulgence in regular violent behavior and destruction of private and public properties. In extreme cases, juvenile delinquency could also end up in major crimes like murder and deliberate manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, exasperated assaults, burglary, larceny and property stealing including automobiles, etc.
There are no set patterns by which measurements of juvenile delinquency could take place, and much would augur from the surroundings and the facts and circumstances governing specific cases of juvenile delinquency. For the purpose of this essay, it is proposed to take up certain standard methods for considering measurement of juvenile delinquency. However, juvenile courts need to take a case to case study to determine which kind of action could be most appropriate under the circumstances.
Deterministic Studies – Cohort Studie
The first aspect is known as cohort studies. As the term implies, it deals with the group behavioral studies of juvenile delinquents and the ways and means by which such delinquent acts are carried out. During earlier times, the juveniles who regularly carried out delinquent activities were not registered as school going youngsters. But nowadays, even such youngsters indulge in delinquent behavior, often directed at other students, and carry out within the school premises.
Thus, the cohort studies carried out in large schools housing juveniles could be a significant place, where measurements through interactions with school governing community and administrators could take place. “In order to reduce delinquency, the educational institution has become more sophisticated in identifying and assisting in the organizing of programs for potential and active delinquent students (Cernkovich & Giordano, 1992; Polk & Schafer, 1972).” (Willie,1996, para.2).
Self Reporting
Self reporting is also a major form of measurement of juvenile delinquency (Thornberry, & Krohn, 2009, p.43). It is seen that unlike taking recourse to legal or police records, self reporting entails descriptions of the crimes by their own perpetrators, which, surprisingly is seen to be very detailed and comprehensive indeed when compared to other forms of measurement. Self reporting, by encouraging the respondents to talk about themselves, instills a sense of independence and candor to talk about their criminal activities. Thus it is believed that this would be a more appropriate and responsive system (Criminology class, fall 1999 200 word summaries of lecture and class discussions, 1999).
One of the primary reasons may be because crime records from secondary sources would not report all the facts, but may restrict to the salient features. But the perpetrators themselves would be in a better position to narrate the full incidents and offer better materials for research. “During this period of time researchers began to recognize the true potential of the self-report methodology. By including questions concerning other aspects of an adolescent’s life as well as a delinquency scale on the same questionnaire, researchers could explore a host of etiological issues.” (Measurement problems in criminal justice research: workshop summary, 2009).
The next method of measurement would be through victimization surveys, in other words, the data and information received from the victims themselves. It is seen that while juvenile delinquents do not outnumber the victims, why is it that the former command more attention than the latter (Finkelhor, 2008).
It may be possible in terms of the fact that delinquents need to be treated in order to stop being a threat to society, and perhaps for their own protection and welfare. Just as the interests of delinquents themselves are being compromised, the victims themselves may be in a constant state of fear and trepidation, and have lowered levels of compromised security. Thus, it is quite evident that one of the major measurements of juvenile delinquency could be gathered from the victims themselves.
Uniform Crime Reporting Under the Aegis of Federal Bureau of Investigation
Perhaps, one of the most significant methods of measuring actions of juvenile delinquency is provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation through its Uniform Crime Reporting systems. UCR is an authoritative and upgraded measurement source of juvenile delinquency. It had pioneered the definition of seven types of crimes viz. “murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assaults, burglary, larceny-theft and motor vehicle thefts.” (Musick, 1995, p.49). Of the above, the first four are listed as “crimes against persons” while the last three are listed under “crimes against property” and constitute Part I offenses of the list. The crimes that cannot appear in this list form part of Part II offenses.
Corporate crimes and other crimes fall in this section (Musick, 1995, p.49).
Coming to the actual statistics, it is seen that through the period 1985 -1997, the number of delinquency cases handled climbed steadily (61%) and from 1997 through 2005, the delinquency caseload dropped 9%. Juvenile courts handled 46% more cases in 2005 than in 1985.” Thus the measurements could be seen that it has increased, decreased and then leveled during the end of the 20th century. The graphic representation shows the curves and dips as follows:
(Sickmund, 2009, p.1). However, while uniform reporting systems have their benefits, they are also voluntary in nature and would depend upon the disposition of the juveniles to answer. Again, due to the technical nature of reporting, it is possible that the facts and figures offered may fall well short of the actual number of crimes committed.
Clearance by Arrest Method
It is next necessary to consider clearance by arrest method of juvenile delinquency measure. Arrests, by far, provide quantitative and qualitative measures of JD to the police and law enforcement officers. Thus, under this system only the crimes occurred and reported form part of the UCR. Specific information may not be available, especially the number of youth involved in the crime but not arrested, etc. As evident, this deals with JD that does get reported and not really what has really occurred. It fails to provide a clear and comprehensive data of full extent of JD. Thus, statistics may be of a retrospective effect and may serve academic interests well. “Thus, UCR data reports arrest prevalence rather than offence prevalence.” (P. 120: (Burfeind, & Bartusch, 2005, p.120).
Indext Offences
It is observed that juvenile crimes are differentiated into two types – juvenile offences which are wrong, ab-initio, irrespective of the age of the offenders and secondly, delinquency status offenses, which are only applicable for JD, relating to truancy, absconding or other juvenile crimes, typical of their age and nature, and not carried out by adult criminals. It is seen that although there may be different charges framed against juvenile delinquents, the case indexed may only be one. Referrals to juvenile courts are made by law enforcement agencies, social workers, schools, educational institutions, parents, guardians, probation officers or even the victims of the JD. If need be and according to the demands of the occasion, the JD may be placed in detention centers during the currency of proceedings in order to prevent harm to the community, the delinquent himself or both.
It is observed that “Between 1985 and 2000 the number of adjudicated delinquency cases resulting in formal probation rose 108 percent, those resulting in residential placement rose 49 percent, and those resulting in other sanctions, such as community service or restitution, rose by 84 percent. The number of cases dismissed (about 3 percent of the total) remained about the same for the entire time period.” (Juvenile crime- the crimes- court statistics, 2009, Case processing, para.4).
Thus, from the above it could be deduced that adjudication of juvenile delinquency cases is indeed effective and efficiently carried out.
Conclusions
Different sources of data provide different images, and it would be presumptuous to place too much reliance on matters of dubious reliability. However, offenses dealing with juvenile delinquency are of two types – serious crimes and not so serious crimes, dealing both with property and human life. The fact remains that so serious crimes may not always be reported, and would thus fail to meet thresholds of this study. However, serious crimes do lead to detentions, arrests and convictions which attract official recording. More often than not, crimes of serious nature and violence are well documented, and arrests and detentions provide valid and accurate results.
Moreover, it is also seen that property crimes relating to juvenile delinquents are far more recurrent than violent crimes committed. Throughout the final decades of the 20th century, juvenile property crimes like thefts, larceny, auto thefts etc were on the rise while major crimes like rape, murder, homicide were less in number, thus not really creating avenues for better data assimilation and management for juvenile delinquencies of all genres and intents.
References
Burfeind, J W., & Bartusch, D J. (2005). Juvenile delinquency: an integrated approach. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Criminology class, fall 1999 200 word summaries of lecture and class discussions: Measuring crime: how much crime is there. (1999). California State University, Dominguez Hills. Web.
Finkelhor, D. (2008). Childhood victimization: violence, crime, and abuse in the lives of young people. Oxford University Press US.
Frequently asked questions. (n.d.). About Juvenile Delinquents: What ever Parent needs to Known. Web.
Juvenile crime- the crimes- court statistics: case processing. (2009). Web.
Measurement problems in criminal justice research: workshop summary. (2009). Web.
Musick, D. (1995). An introduction to the sociology of juvenile delinquency: Chapter 3: Measuring delinquency: Uniform crime report. SUNY Press. 49.
Sickmund, M. (2009). Delinquency cases in juvenile court, 2005. OJJDP Fact Sheet. Web.
Thornberry, T P., & Krohn, M D. ( 2009). Measurement problems in criminal justice research: workshop summary: Comparison of self- report and official data for measuring crime. The National Academies Press. Web.
Willie, J W. (1996). A measurement of delinquency differences between a delinquent and nondelinquent sample: what are the implications. Access My Library: Search Information that Libraries Test. Web.
This document critically analyzes the role played by the media in heightening juvenile delinquency. It also gives some examples of real incidences where the media compelled juvenile delinquency. In addition, the document points out the harmful effects of juvenile delinquency that include death and physical injury. Moreover, it highlights other factors that have contributed to increased crime rates among the youth. The factors may include, parental negligence and family conflicts, societal moral decay, and influence from various forms of mass media such as television and radio. The document has also pinpointed various ways of curbing juvenile crimes, and their ill effects. These ways include educating the community with utmost emphasis on the youth, government involvement in implementing measures to control the vice, and parental guidance.
Introduction
In the recent past, different media houses have aired countless criminal cases, involving young teenagers and youths. In these cases, young people have committed heinous unlawful activities towards innocent victims, most of whom are their peers. However, adults including parents and teachers have also been victims of these juvenile delinquents, resulting in fatal incidences and severe injuries (Sorrells, 1977). Besides, their various factors have prompted many young people into indulging in criminal activities. Some of these factors include parental negligence, influence from peers, and illegal drugs usage. Besides, the media have been at the forefront of the fight against juvenile-related crimes. Televisions, radios, and newspapers, among other media forms, have been a significant factor in the campaign against juvenile delinquency. On the other hand, the media play a crucial role in escalating juvenile criminal activities within society (Yanich, 2005). In this view, this document aims at critically evaluating the role of various forms of media in escalating juvenile delinquency, and ways to curb the vice.
Media Impact and other factors
Over the years, the media have been at the forefront in informing, educating, as well as entertaining the mass among all societal members across the globe. Besides, media come in many forms, examples being newspapers, televisions, the Internet, and various informative journals (Yanich, 2005). However, some information aired by the media has proved to be severely detrimental to the psychological health of young people, thereby compelling them to involvement in criminal activities. Moreover, a recent survey indicated that 90% of the interviewed youths agreed to the fact that the media negatively affects their behavior. Besides, a group of teens arrested for scores of robbery activities claimed to have gotten the influence from rap music they saw on TV. They admitted having been involved in these activities, since it was the in-thing, thus heightening what researchers view as copycat crimes (Surette, 2002). This makes sense since young people are exceptionally adept at imitating what perceive from the media. Moreover, the media portray the real situation in society.
In the era of modernity and technological advancement, many teenagers have unlimited and unmonitored access to the Internet. However, though the Internet is a valuable tool in educating and entertaining, it also comes with a package of other appalling features. Many people have been able to a have way into pornographic sites, thereby polluting their innocent minds. Besides, it exposes the youth to violent-related computer games that provoke them into doing what they visualize.
In addition, most movies use violence and vulgar language thus reflecting the society as a cruel place without love for one another, depicting revenge as an accepted norm. Moreover, while reporting about criminal incidences, the media usually exaggerates facts, thereby misinforming society. The media also depict crime as a normal occurrence in society. As a result, the media give a wrong perception of crime statistics, thus forcing young people to engage in violence. In a survey conducted on a group of juvenile convicts, many admitted to learning crime concepts from various television shows (Surette, 2002).
In media reporting of criminal incidences, gender imbalance is rampant. The media reflect the male youths as being macho and prone to criminal activities. This causes many male teenagers to think and act in that manner, as opposed to their female counterparts, thereby increasing rates of criminal frequency in numerous societal settings.
Technological expertise has also aggravated the dilemma of juvenile delinquency. Through various social networks, teenagers can communicate with diverse people globally. Moreover, they use these sites to share information, most of which may be harmful to them. Besides, some terror groups have taken advantage of these sites to recruit innocent youth, without the knowledge of their parents or caregivers. This has been possible since remarkably few parents monitor their kids’ access to the media.
On the other hand, society is to blame for the increased crime rates perpetrated by young offenders. Many parents and caregivers have neglected their teenage children, since they are always busy in their professions, and lack time to teach children the time-honored norms and cultural values of society. Furthermore, family conflicts and marriage break-ups have had a severe impact on accelerating youth participation in the crime. As a result, families up-bring undisciplined children who rely on the media and peers as a source of comfort and information. Besides, misinformed youths are subject to crime. Moreover, some community members serve as imperfect examples to the teenagers (Patchin, Huebner, McCluskey, & Varano, et al., 2006).
Curbing Juvenile Delinquency
To win the battle against juvenile delinquency, the concerned parties should focus on eliminating factors that exacerbate crime among teenagers. The involved parties should conduct thorough research on areas most subject to juvenile crimes. Furthermore, there should be accurate information on juvenile crime prevalence. This will help in uncovering the main factors that lead to juvenile crime, and thereby aid in controlling youth-related crimes.
To begin with, the media has the freedom of sharing information. However, the government should implement laws that control information aired through the media. In addition, the authorities should set in place stern punitive measures, in a bid to deter media companies from airing materials that negatively affect the psychological health of young society members. Besides, the media should be actively involved in combating juvenile law-breaking through advertisement and informative programming.
Moreover, members of various societies should initiate campaigns aimed at educating the youth against criminal activities. This may be in the form of seminars, workshops, and charity walks. In addition, since most teenagers engage in crime because of being idle, they should be heartened to engage in community services such as voluntary services in various projects, in a bid to free them from idleness (Hoffmann & Xu, 2002). Youth should also be encouraged to involve themselves in schools’ extracurricular activities such as sports and different social clubs available in most schools (Hoffmann & Xu, 2002).
Parents and caregivers should dedicate more time to being with their children, and advise them on upstanding moral values accepted in society. They should also be an exemplary role model since children are better at imitating than listening.. Moreover, if the youth engage in repeated crimes, the concerned parties should take them to appropriate psychiatrists, where qualified personnel will counsel them against crime involvement. Moreover, in severe incidences, parents should send the affected teenagers to rehabilitation centers for behavior change. Once out of the rehabilitation center, counselors should monitor the youth, since there may be cases of recurrent crime involvement. The counselor can organize weekly sessions, where they can meet with the affected youth and discourage them from reiterating in crime.
In addition, parents’ duty should ensure that teenagers have controlled access to various forms of media that may negatively influence the youths’ behavior. Young people should be encouraged to engage themselves in academic work, and avoid the idleness associated with too much media exposure.
The media have been actively involved in enlightening and entertaining society members globally. Nevertheless, it possesses a substantial impact that impels the youth towards engaging in criminal activities (Sorrells, 1977). Violent movies series aired by different media houses have influenced many young teenagers to engage in crime. Besides, the family is also accountable for the escalation of crime rates within societies. Many modern parents have neglected their teenage children, who have resorted to peers in search of acceptance and comfort.
Conclusion
To curb this misdemeanor, all concerned parties must work together and use all the available resources to control the vice. The authorities should pass laws that govern the information aired by the media. In addition, besides airing nonviolent programs, they should also play their role in educating society against criminal activities (Yanich, 2005). Besides, parents should create time for their children and teach them socially acceptable norms. Moreover, teenagers should be willing to change their ill behaviors, since they are the worst affected by criminal activities. Once put into practice, the battle against juvenile delinquency will be a success.
References
Hoffmann, J., & Xu, J. (2002). School Activities, Community Service, and Delinquency. Crime & Delinquency, 48, 586-591.
Patchin, J., Huebner, B., McCluskey, J., & Varano, S., et al. (2006). Exposure to Community Violence and Childhood Delinquency. Crime & Delinquency, 52, 307-332.
Sorrells, J. (1977). Kids Who Kill. Crime & Delinquency, 23, 311-320.
Surette, R. (2002). Self-Reported Copycat Crime among a Population of Serious and Violent Juvenile Offenders. Crime & Delinquency, 48, 46-69.
Yanich, D. (2005). Kids, Crime, and Local Television News. Crime & Delinquency, 51, 103-132.
The purpose of this essay is to examine the empirical studies of the Social Learning Theory on juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency entails the term that is used to explain to young people who have not attained majority age and are involved in committing crimes. Delinquency refers to the failure to follow laws that are set by the state.
According to the sociological aspect of criminology, social interactions and individualism are the factors behind the juvenile delinquency. Usually, society does not exist as an island but rather different person interacts and this ensures that the society continues to exist. The social interaction theory and juvenile delinquency have been written extensively over the years and the studies have proved to be logically consistent and also useful in providing the empirical support.
Thus, the studies play an important role of explaining all the social behaviors without which it is impossible to explain the causes of juvenile delinquency. The empirical studies of the Social Learning Theory on juvenile delinquency helps to provide an insight on the past, present as well as the future of criminology i.e. the study sheds light on the future directions of social interaction theory.
The main aim of social interaction theories on juvenile delinquency is to explain how such social influences as religion, family and politics shapes a person over time. The social interaction theories on juvenile delinquency assume that interplay exists between an individual, the environment and delinquent acts.
Explanatory concepts of social interaction theories on juvenile delinquency
The social interaction theory on juvenile delinquency is comprised of four main explanatory concepts i.e. the differential association theory, definitions theory, imitation theory and differential reinforcement theory. Differentiation association theory is a social interaction theory that was formulated by Edwin Sutherland.
According to this theory, people develops deviant behaviors by interacting and associating themselves with those who engages themselves in deviant behavior i.e. one can learn positive or negative behavior through interaction. Sutherland in his Differentiation Association Theory argued that juvenile delinquency is caused by observation and social interaction.
According to this theory one is deemed to act in a deviant manner as a result of association with group members who favor juvenile delinquency than those members who value the societal norms. This theory, also argues that the familiy unit is the major source of learning behaviors.Thus,if ones’ familiy unit is made up of people who are engaged in deviant behaviors, then one is bound to develop the same kind of behaviors.
Also,the theory argues that one learns certain norms and behaviors through the internet, mass media e.t.c. formulating the differential association theory, Sutherland used three concepts i.e. the culture conflict, cultural transmission theory and the ecological transmission theory. The culture conflict concept explains the presence of many crimes in the society and also the progress towards becoming a criminal. Sutherland’s theory is thus important as it helps to explain the juvenile delinquency in the society (Morrison, 1995, P.51).
Definitions theory was developed by Aker and it refers to a person’s orientations, explanations, justifications e.t.c. that explains as to whether morally right or incorrect. Definitions theory of juvenile delinquency is thus the process whereby one evaluates the rightfulness or wrongness of a particular action.
According to this theory. The law definitions may be specific or general i.e. a person may obey law generally and in turn violate specific provisions of the law. Definitions are comprised of behaviors that are learned as a result of interactions and other societal norms that conforms the delinquent acts. Specific definitions render one to act in a certain manner and the more one learns specific or general attitudes, the higher the chances of engaging in delinquency acts (Krohn et.al. 2009, P.104).
Imitations theory of juvenile delinquency refers to the process whereby one imitates behavioral characteristics of others by observing them.
The imitation theory of social delinquency was modeled by Gabriel Tarde who a French criminologist.Tarde was held the view that the regional differences that exists in crime rates are as a result of local variations i.e. alcoholism and poverty and not as a result of biological factors.
Tarde also argued that juvenile delinquency is a lifestyle that is learned through social interaction.Tarde in his imitation laws argued that juvenile delinquency is a function of interacting with people who have deviant behaviors. With this regards, a criminal undergoes through phases of apprenticeship which is similar to that of a lawyer or a doctor.
Tarde came up with three laws that provided an account for the imitations and juvenile delinquency. The first imitations’ law holds that people tends to imitate others when they are near one another. Thus, imitation is eminent in most cities and towns that are densely populated. The second imitation law holds that those people who are inferiors tend to imitate their superiors. With this regards, juvenile delinquency originates from the superiors and later on, descends to lower ranks.
The third imitation law by Tarde holds that, it is possible to substitute fashions particularly when the two arises at the same time. The imitation theory of juvenile delinquency also held the view that crimes originates in the capital cities. For instance, carjacking, terrorist activities and other major crimes are prevalent in metropolitan cities as opposed to rural areas.
Differential reinforcement theory of juvenile delinquency is concerned with the balance that exists between the punishments and rewards that occurs following a particular behavior. This balance plays a vital role in enabling individuals to behave in a particular manner.Thus,the more the rewards for juvenile delinquency, the higher the tendency to commit a crime and vice versa. Reinforcements and punishments can be nonsocial e.g. the direct consequences of alcoholism and drugs abuse.
Causal factors of juvenile delinquency
The youths use the social interactions among themselves as a means to commit crimes. The social interactions are a concern among many parents as they fear that their children may associate themselves in bad company and in turn commit delinquent acts. The social interaction among the deviant youths acts as a means through which the youths influence each other. The social learning theories that are presented by Akers, Sutherland and Marza explain that juvenile delinquencies occur in causal terms.
The causal aspects of juvenile delinquency include the individual differences, social structures, cultural factors and social psychological (Burfeind, & Bartusch, 2006, P.66).The individual differences includes the psychological and biological factors. Various studies of the social interaction theory on juvenile delinquency reveal that the familiy interaction plays an important role of promoting behaviors among young children.
High strictness and low support contributes to juvenile delinquencies i.e. they causes an increase in post-punishment of the acts that were previously forbidden. Personality is interrelated with one’s susceptibility to reward or punishment and therefore, the extraverts are usually less likely to acquire deviant behaviors.
On the other hand, strong conditioning has the effect of causing inhibition of criminal behaviors particularly in environments that encourage juvenile delinquency.Thus,the success of social responsibility and socialized depends is largely dependent on ones’ conditionality. The studies have also considered IQ among offenders be the main reason behind juvenile delinquency (Kim, 2008, P.23).
The social factors of juvenile delinquency include the inequalities and opportunities. Poverty and inequality has the effect of frustrating young people and in-turn causing them to engage in criminal activities. This is due to the fact that, they usually feel that inequality exist between what other people have and what the youth believe they ought to have. According to social control theory, delinquency arises when the social bonds are broken.
Travis Hirsch in his analysis came up with four elements of social bonds of an individual i.e. attachment, commitment, involvement and belief. Attachment is made of such aspects as sensitivity and affection for others. According to Travis, commitment included such acts as investing in conventional societies. Involvement entails spending a considerable amount of time on conventional duties whereas the belief is the extent upon which the youths feel they should abide by the laws.
According to Hirsch’s ,one is less likely to engage in criminal activities if he or she is strongly attached to the teachers or parents.Also,a child who has dedicated his or her effort and time in schools’ conventional activity is likely to conform and rarely engages in delinquent acts.
However,Hirschi used empirical data that was obtained from the adolescents self reports in testing his analysis of juvenile delinquency and this made his work to be considered as unique.Aker also noted that Hirsch’s’ work was unusual as far as juvenile delinquency is concerned (Sutherland et.al.1992,P.71).
The cultural factors that have been considered as risk factors with regards to juvenile delinquency include such aspects as societal norms that promote violence in resolving disputes.
Studies that demonstrated the risky factors that cause juvenile delinquency were first conducted in the early 20th century. The research was first done in the analysis by Breckinridge and Abbott in 1922 and later in the analysis by Healy in 1915.However, the research findings by Breckinridge, Abbott and Healy are newly repeated in the analysis by Loeber and Farrington in 1998.Healy in his study argued that juvenile delinquencies begins at childhood i.e. all confirmed delinquents starts their careers in their early years.
Healy also noted that the repeated offenders have the greatest impact in the society as a result of their offending frequencies. Healy emphasized on the importance of beginning the treatment at an early period.Afterwards, Loeber and Farrington in their studies argued that juvenile delinquency arises through the interaction of the following factors i.e. individual, contextual, and situational as well as the community factor.
They also pointed out that serious juvenile offenders starts to display their juvenile delinquency at childhood and thus there is need for early intervention.However, Loeber and Farrington in their studies contended that the juvenile offenders poses a greater challenge with regards to the juvenile justice policies due to the fact that they are responsible for virtually all the criminal activities in the society (Rosenheim, 2002, P.201-203).
Juvenile delinquency and time
With regards to the studies of social learning theory on juvenile delinquency history, there is a pattern that is revealed.Thus, the old studies of social learning theory on juvenile delinquency are usually discarded and they are deemed to be inadequate and outdated.
Much emphasis is given to new studies due to the reason that crime as well as juvenile delinquency are keep on changing with time.However, this concept is rarely studied systematically and the empirical studies of the social learning theory on juvenile delinquency have suggested that juvenile delinquency does not change with time.
Primarily, juvenile delinquency involves property crimes rather than violence and its exhibited by males. Such activities usually start at a very early age and fully peaks at teenage. The delinquent acts are more common in children from poor background and in major cities and towns. As far as many young people engage in juvenile delinquency, only a few of them commits serious offenses regularly. This implies that juvenile delinquency have remained the same over the years (Bruce et.al. 2000, P.422).
However, the conceptions regarding juvenile delinquency have greatly changes over the years even though the extent and nature of delinquent behaviors have remained them same. The reasons behind juvenile delinquency have largely been attributed the broken social bonds. However, the manner in which the theorists and researchers interpret data concerning the social learning theory on juvenile delinquency has changed (Bruce, et.al. 2000, P.33).
Conclusion
An empirical study of the social learning theory on juvenile delinquency reveals that several patterns have emerged over the past few years. The conceptions concerning juvenile delinquency have changed in that the past decade has seen criminals using guns in carrying out their criminal activities.
There have been changes too regarding the reasons behind juvenile delinquency. The biological aspects such as IQ have however been considered as the main reason behind juvenile delinquency. The empirical study of the social learning theory on juvenile delinquency has found out that delinquent behaviors are strongly linked with family variables. The empirical studies revealed that delinquent behaviors begin at childhood but they have failed to explain the adult outcomes among the offenders.
Reference List
Bruce, D et.al. (2000). Juvenile delinquency: historical, cultural, and legal Perspectives. Amststerdam: Elsevier.
Burfeind, J. & Bartusch, J. (2006). Juvenile delinquency: an integrated Approach. London: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Kim, H. (2008). Juvenile delinquency and youth crime.Hauppauge: Nova Publishers.
Krohn, M. et al. (2009). Handbook on Crime and Deviance. Berlin: Springer.
Morrison, W. (1995).Theoretical Criminology.London: Routledge.
Rosenheim, M. (2002). A century of juvenile justice. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Sutherland, E.et.al. (1992). Principles of Criminology. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Delinquent behavior and juvenile justice are critical social issues in the United States. Juvenile delinquency can lead to significant consequences such as incarceration, drug use, lack of education, and injury. Many programs have been established across the country for early intervention and prevention purposes to divert juveniles from criminal environments and consequences. This report will examine the Adolescent Diversion Project as part of a community effort to juvenile delinquency treatment in Michigan.
What is the name of the program you are assessing? Where is the program located?
The selected program for assessment is the Adolescent Diversion Project (ADP). It is done through Michigan State University and is located in East Lansing, Michigan. The program is advocacy-oriented, attempting to divert juveniles from formal processing into community services.
The focus of the program is to prevent future delinquency by creating social attachments to family and other prosocial youth by providing community resources and keeping individuals away from the juvenile justice system which can have stigmatizing and traumatizing outcomes. The program was established in 1976 through collaboration between Michigan State University and the local Ingham County Juvenile System. It is considered to be one of the best and most well-established juvenile programs in the country (National Institute of Justice, 2013).
Have there been any studies completed on the effectiveness of the program you are reviewing for the assignment? What were the results of these studies? If no studies were done, would this have been informative?
A large-scale study was conducted in 2004 by a multi-facility team from different universities and a national organization that specifically focused on ADP. It was a randomized control trial that examined 395 youth who were referred to the program to determine how effective the ecological programming approach was in preventing delinquency. The study demonstrated that ADP was slightly more effective and showed less official recidivism of juvenile delinquency than a “warn and release” attempt or processing in the juvenile justice system. It was also found that while processing and any other means of socially labeling youth as delinquent led to increased criminal behavior. Meanwhile, a greater awareness of youth activities and integration into the community without creating labels helped to greatly reduce delinquent behavior (Smith, Wolf, Cantillon, Thomas, & Davidson, 2004).
What (if any) positive impact is the program providing for the community and the delinquents?
The primary positive impact that the program has on the community is experiencing lower rates of juvenile delinquency and a better interconnection among its members and institutions. The delinquents are benefited as they are provided with resources, psychological guidance, positive socialization, role models, and supervision to obtain stability in their lives. Caseworkers which consist of university professors and student volunteers work individually with delinquents to help build relationships, deal with school issues, and achieve employment among other individually tailored services. Together, members of the program often participate in community engagement such as service and volunteering that further aids the local area (Office of Justice Programs, 2017).
Will the program help curb juvenile delinquency? Why?
The program has been functioning for over 40 years and has demonstrated statistically significant reductions in juvenile delinquency and re-offenders. Self-reported delinquency reduction is much lower, but noteworthy, nevertheless. Such success can be attributed to a comprehensive approach that combines psychological guidance, social integration, service, and community outreach. Delinquents feel much more established within their families and the communities as well as various aspects of their lives such as school or work.
What are the negative aspects of the program you reviewed?
The negative aspects of the program can be attributed to the short amount of time that delinquents participate in it. It lasts only 18 weeks at only about 6-8 hours per week. Past the 12th week, the active phase is over, which leads to the very limited time that caseworkers spend with the delinquent (National Institute of Justice, 2013). Also, while the program is targeted towards community outreach and pro-social activities, it has little variation and may encounter issues with delinquents that do not respond well to measures.
Give specific suggestions for improving the program
The best improvements would be to extend the length of the program to ensure that juveniles feel more established and integrated into the community. Furthermore, it would be recommended to introduce options for more anti-social or introverted delinquents. While some psychological guidance is provided, it may be viable to establish a therapy program to help manage traumatic experiences that the youth have witnessed while in criminal or court environments. Additionally, it may be helpful to establish check-in programs after the program ends to ensure juveniles are maintaining a good-standing status.
Conclusion
Juvenile delinquency is a serious issue that needs to be effectively addressed as traditional punitive systems often have a negative effect. Rehabilitation and treatment programs such as the Adolescent Diversion Project focus on social and community integration while guiding various aspects of the juvenile’s lives. The program has existed for decades and has experienced great success in reducing delinquency rates.
Smith, E. P., Wolf, A. M., Cantillon, D. M., Thomas, O., & Davidson, W. S. (2004). The Adolescent Diversion Project. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 27(2), 29–47. Web.
Mike threatened his mother, stole her stove, sold it, and used the money to get himself drunk. In the process, he tried to commit a robbery and was arrested. His mother later turned him over to the juvenile court. Some children drink, others fight while others are involved in violent robberies where they use guns causing injury or even death of innocent folks. These children, Mike included, can be considered juvenile delinquents.
Main body
Juvenile relates to age and varies from state to state. In some states, the maximum age for which a child can be tried in a juvenile court is 14 years while in others it is 21 years. Nonetheless, the 16 to 20 olds are considered to be adults in most states. (Colombia encyclopedia, 2008) There are two types of juveniles. Delinquent offenders and the status offenders. (Roberts, 2008) But what is delinquency? The juvenile justice system has always approached juvenile justice from two perspectives. Firstly, that the juvenile offenders are primarily troubled children who are in need of help (rehabilitation). On the other hand, that the offenders are criminal and the solution is punishment so that they can refrain from such behaviors. From this, there are at least two definitions of delinquents. The legal definition and the case workers definition. (Tappan, 1949) In the legal definition, a juvenile delinquent is one who has decided to act contrary to laid down law and rules (offender). As such, this person deserves to be dealt with accordingly to deter him and others like him from engaging in such behaviors. However, no offender can be classified as a delinquent unless the court has established it to be so. In the case workers definition, a delinquent is one who is personally and socially maladjusted in his behaviors, which is the root cause of his problems (involvement in offences). The type of child who maybe involved in such offences as running away from home or disobedience thus a status offender. (Tappan, 1949) A juvenile delinquent can therefore be regarded as a child offender.
According to Heilbrun, Goldstein and Redding (2005), the nature of juvenile offences have been changing/evolving over the years. Nowadays there are far more serious and violent crimes committed by juveniles than ever before in history. The very first juvenile court had been established way back in 1899 in Cook County Illinois. Before, this the children were mainly put into the same jails as the adults. The reformers were concerned with this situation and called for the establishment of a separate court system for the minors. However, the court was not established for punishment purposes rather to identify the causes of delinquency in addition to formulating individual based rehabilitation programmes. Hence, the principle of Parens Patriae which meant that the court was to act as the child’s guardian with a view to protecting the minor.
Fast forward, today all states have separate court systems for juveniles. (Roberts, 2000).
Boys seem to be the most susceptible to juvenile delinquency more than the girls though there has also been an increase over the years in the number of girls involved. This could be attributed to the fact that juvenile offences are related to peer pressure and anti social behaviors such as drug and substance abuse. The role of the family and parents cannot be discounted in the causes of juvenile delinquency. With parents holding more than one job, they have little or no time for their children. The result is that the children do as they please because they have no one to discipline them. According to Kulla, parenting practices have considerable impact on children. Accordingly, delinquent parents more often than not bring up delinquent children. (2006) For instance, an alcoholic abusive father has a very high chance of bringing up children who may be just like him. The other aspect of parenting that may contribute to delinquency is the single parent family resulting from divorce, abandonment or even separation. The mother is all alone and the duty of bringing up the children and also disciplining them rests squarely on her. She might fail. In a large family the same is true because then all the children do not get the attention they deserve. This then brings into close focus the environment that the child lives in and other people who live in this environment too. Peer pressure is a cause of juvenile delinquency. Children get involved in certain activities because everyone else in their families and communities seems to be involved. They may also get involved just to fit in with their friends. This is the reason they might engage themselves in drug or substance abuse and in violent crimes. (Kulla, 2006) Other causes include early child bearing and maternal substance abuse when pregnant. The result is that the mother is less likely to become an effective parent while the child may be born already an addict which makes them more likely to become delinquents. Another reason has to do with the social economic status. Children born to poor households may become delinquents as they engage in criminality to supplement incomes. There are also situational influences where the child maybe seeking an activity for the thrill of it. (Kulla, 2006).
With the rise of juvenile related crimes from the 1990’s, the stakeholders, policy makers, legislators and the public were calling for more serious and effective ways of dealing with juvenile crime. There was a 28% increase in the number of juvenile offenders held in both public and private facilities between 1991 and 2003. (Juvenile offenders and victims report, 2006) The call was for federally enacted laws because then the juvenile courts were appearing to be too lenient on juvenile offenders with the rehabilitation efforts failing. In 1993, for instance, the Gallup Poll passed the state proposition that would result in the trial of juveniles like adults especially those accused of violent crimes. A whooping 75% of the public voted in favor of this proposition. (Heilbrun et al, 2005) At the time, there were high numbers of juvenile related crimes including in schools. The media is involved in highlighting issues pertaining to juvenile delinquency including the failures and successes of existing prevention rehabilitation and intervention strategies. The courts and the lawyers are involved in the trial and sentencing of juvenile offenders. They are charged with the duty of openly laying out the offences and penalties leveled so as to protect the same offenders from undue process or ill treatment by the police. The juveniles also have the right to a fair trial. More over, communities and health workers are also involved in the rehabilitation and subsequent re-entry into the community of juveniles.
There is general consensus that the juvenile justice system is working. However, it needs to be strengthened. More over, Heilbrun et al are of the opinion that early intervention, adoption of prevention programmes in addition to rehabilitation make better alternatives to punishment of juvenile offenders especially in minor crimes. Accordingly, only very serious offences should result in jail terms. According to statistics, about 63% of the public seemed to be in favor of rehabilitation while a paltry 19% was in favor of punishment. (2005) Over the past few years the juvenile system has undergone considerable changes/reforms. More serious offenders have found themselves in criminal courts as new laws have been enacted that places them outside the juvenile courts jurisdiction. More over, the new laws seem to be in favor of punishing offenders as opposed to rehabilitation. Further more, laws have also been revised such that some offences can only be tried and sentenced in criminal courts. For instance, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 permitted the transfer of 13 year old offenders, especially those who had committed crimes using weapons such as guns, to criminal courts. Concomitantly, prosecution decision making jurisdictions have been widened. This has resulted in the restriction of confidentiality laws in juvenile courts.
Ultimately, there have been calls from stakeholders that the juvenile system is not working like it should and therefore needs to be abolished. However, current reforms seek to combine punishment of juvenile offenders with treatment and rehabilitation. The Office of Juvenile Justice System and Delinquency Prevention through the Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent and Chronic Juvenile Offenders proposes that juveniles who enter the system should first be subjected to an assessment after which they are to be subjected to early intervention. The strategy also proposes the employment of various intervention strategies, to address the numerous risk factors, mental health, social service systems and even after care. The main problem with the juvenile delinquency system seems to lie in the fact that is has been somewhat ‘adultified’. According to Heilbrun et al, the solution lies with the understanding that the prevention and intervention methods adopted will serve the public and the juvenile offenders better if only the policy makers could understand that the offenders are not innocent children neither are they mature adults. The enhancing of the authority of the courts as far as sentencing goes is one strategy that has been adopted as part of the reforms. With this it is well within the mandate of the juvenile courts to extend their sentencing into early adulthood. (2005).
There has also been the establishment of specialized courts that are to deal with particular offences and by extension offenders. This is in line with the development of a prevention and treatment programme in the juvenile justice system. In the United States, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has been key in juvenile prevention/intervention programmes. Among the strategies adopted include the use of the media to educate the public and also the use of partnerships. Through the media, information is provided about the causes and the nature of juvenile delinquency including ways of prevention. This calls for partnerships with individuals, community groups and other institutions. First, is the community/faith involvement. The Office funds delinquency prevention efforts that are community based. Through the use of art (music, dance, drama) the Office also seeks to educate the youth on the problems that their communities face including the importance of preventing crime and the best ways of doing so. Secondly, the Office focuses on effective intervention programmes and ways of dealing with conflict. These include anger management classes, training on social and communication skills plus the use of mediation and legal services. Thirdly, is family strengthening and parenting through the safe start initiative. The Office aims at early prevention, intervention treatment and response including the delivery of quality services to children who are exposed to violence in their families and also those who are a risk. The Office has included the cross age teaching techniques in it mentoring programme. The youth are able to share knowledge and skills with others their age, or others who are younger or older. The programme is also involved in providing information to community based organizations on how to start and run effective mentoring programmes on their own. In the risk and protective factors programme, the gang reduction initiative is central. The aim is to reduce gang activities in certain neighborhoods. More over, in this programme there is also the girls study group where information pertaining to risk and protective factors of female juvenile offenders is obtained. Within the youth involvement programme the activities of the youth courts, which is a community intensive programme, are highlighted. The youth are involved in judging their peers on minor offences. (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, 2008).
The use of the mass media in the dissemination of information is a workable intervention. It has the potential to reach many people. However, it may not reach as many people depending on the medium used. Various methods need to be used together for the success of this intervention, thus newspapers, pamphlets, seminars may all be used together. Involving the community and community groups is a good endeavor because they involve many different people and groups all who have something to offer. However, some groups need funding so that they can effectively carry out their programmes. The strategy of teaching the youth various social and communication skill is important in conflict resolution as they may not have been taught at home. However, this requires dedicated personnel who are also patient. The interventions have a high probability of success though the drawbacks lie in as far as misplaced priorities, unclear responsibilities, lack of information and resources. This in turn results in poor implementation of the interventions and policy gaps. Leadership then becomes indispensable. The Office of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention has set the pace.
Reforms in the juvenile justice system will highly influence the prevention and intervention strategies even in future. According to Roberts, existing justice systems are unsuccessful when they fail to satisfy the need of the victims, communities and the juvenile offenders. The future lies in the balanced approach strategy that focuses on compensation for harm to victims and the community. (2004) In addition, the offender competencies need to be increased and the public protected through the inclusion of victims, offenders and the community as equal participants. This requires the formulation of new intervention goals and objectives, the reallocation of funds plus the formulation of new reporting measures as well as methods of data collection. Moreover, the provision of programmes that are well supervised out of school and detention may be of immense help. Investing more into the strategies that have been successful in reducing re-entry of offenders into the justice system will also produce results. (King County Juvenile Justice Operational Master Plan, 2000).
Juvenile delinquents are common in our communities. There are various reasons why they became delinquents. The failure of the family institution is the most important reason. The parents not being keen on disciplining their children because they might be too busy. Divorce, separation and the parents themselves being delinquents. Society has however contributed through the presence of social classes. As these children try to get out of theses classes they become delinquents. Peer pressure from friend and neighbors alike is another cause of delinquency.
Conclusion
The justice system established juvenile courts for the trial and sentencing of these minors. However, there is need for more proactive approach aimed at preventing the causes of delinquency in addition to offering solutions. These prevention and intervention strategies require the use of the media for effective sharing of information pertaining to juvenile delinquency. Besides, partnership with other individuals, community groups and agencies who are stake holders serves to strengthen the intervention strategies. The future however lies in the improvement of these strategies and strengthening those that have currently been the most successful.
Heilbrun, K., Goldstein, S. E. & Redding, R. E. (2005). Juvenile delinquency: Prevention assessment and intervention. New York: Oxford University Press.
King County Juvenile Justice Operational Master Plan. (2000). Web.
Kulla, C. (2006). The causes of juvenile delinquency. Associated content. 2008. Web.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. (2008). Juvenile offenders and victims report, 2006. Web.
Roberts, A. R. (2004). Juvenile Justice source book: Past, present and future. New York: Oxford University Press.
Roberts, C. H. (2008). Juvenile delinquency: Causes and effect. Yale-new Haven Teachers Institute. Web.
Tappan, P. W. (1949). Juvenile delinquency. New York: McGraw – Hill.
Juvenile delinquency refers to the indulgence of criminal activity at a young age (below 18 years in the United States). Since minors are not as mature as adults, they are prone to make mistakes, commit crimes and engage in impulsive risky activities. Studies have shown various reasons for juvenile delinquency including psychological issues, coming from a broken family, social training, and being victims of violence. The reasons for teenagers to engage in criminal behavior ranges from upbringing (nurture) to biological factors (nature) (World Youth Report, 2013). This argumentative essay posits that adolescents commit crimes because of environmental factors and not because their biology predisposes them to be criminals.
Charles Beccaria in his1977 book “On Crimes and Punishment” stipulates that there are three reasons people become criminals. The first category of criminals becomes criminals because of environmental factors (nurture and upbringing). These criminals have been exposed to unfavorable conditions in their lives such as violence and poverty and turn to criminal behavior as a coping mechanism. The second category of criminals turns to a life of crime because they were predestined to become criminals. In this category, the criminals were biologically predisposed to become criminals. They may have a physical or mental condition such as psychopathy or schizophrenia that makes their actions out of their control. The final approach to criminality shows that some people become delinquents because of rational choice. In this approach, people deliberately choose to commit a crime. The criminal weighs the pros and cons of committing a crime and acts logically without the involvement of nature or nurture. From Beccaria’s perspective, both nature and nurture can sway a youth to turn delinquent.
Ivlita Gogua, 2020, provides five causes of juvenile delinquency including family issues, violence, imitation, homelessness, and psychological issues. In family issues, she explains that children who grow up without a supportive family (indifferent parents) or in stable households have a high tendency of becoming delinquents. Under violence, she elaborates that often, juvenile delinquents are victims of violence. They may experience violence in school, in the family, or from friends and peers. They develop sociological issues, deter their communication skills, and become bullies to cope.
Gogua explains that some juveniles become criminals because someone they look up to is a criminal (imitation). During childhood, motives, values, and patterns of behavior are formed. In adolescence, they use what they learned during childhood to define their identity and to establish themselves in society. Therefore, if they grew up around crime (from family members or in their peers), they may decide to imitate it. Moreover, psychological factors such as depression, excessive aggression, complexes, and fears can push an adolescent into a life of crime. Finally, Gogua discusses homelessness as a contributing factor for delinquency. Children living in the street due to poor social or economic conditions may turn to hooliganism. Even though she points to psychological factors as causes of juvenile delinquency, most of the reasons in her study revolve around environmental factors.
Various methods have been recommended in criminology in the prevention of juvenile delinquency. Most scholars and law enforcers point to early intervention to assist children and their families before they turn delinquent. In the national database, various juvenile delinquency prevention components have been provided including model programs to educate parents on how to raise mentally, physically, and psychologically fit children, provision of after school recreational activities to keep children busy and reduce chances of criminal behavior, encouraging community involvement among teenagers such as joining church youth groups, boy scouts and volunteer work (www.youth.gov, 2021).
Additional strategies to reduce juvenile delinquency include increasing prenatal and infancy nurse home visitation to provide support to mothers in low-income families, provision of training programs for parent-child interaction, enforcement of prevention programs for bullying, implementation of juvenile delinquency prevention programs in the justice system to provide intervention assistance to youth who enter the system, and opening of the juvenile correctional facility that endeavor to restore and rehabilitate delinquent adolescents, using functional family therapy to avert repeat offenses.
Scare tactics that have been used for decades to scare the delinquents away from criminal behavior have been proven inefficient. Tactics such as “Scared Straight” and “Juvenile Boot Camp” as well as slogans such as “get tough on crime” show a violent solution to a violent victim. As explained earlier, often, juvenile delinquents are victims of violence, and therefore, using scare tactics is making them a victim again. As a result, better strategies were identified to support delinquents and rehabilitate them back into society as functional and law-abiding adults (Impact Law, 2021).
All the prevention tactics developed by the national agencies point to correcting the environment the teenagers are growing in and not altering their biology. The causes of juvenile delinquency to the prevention tactics prove that juvenile delinquency is a product of a broken society. Violence begets violence and love begets love. If children grow up in a society filled with care, are non-violent, and appreciative of everyone regardless of their differences, then they are more likely to be better functioning members of the society. Furthermore, children who grow up in households where they are showered with love, and appropriate parental guidance on what is wrong and right, will imitate these behaviors well into their adulthood. In conclusion, as much as in some cases biology can be a factor in juvenile delinquency, it is the environmental factors that determine how productive a person grows up to be in society.
Works Cited:
Beccaria, C. On Crimes and Punishment, 6th Ed. (1977). Trans. Henry Paolucci. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill.
There is much that can be said regarding the topic of gangs and juvenile delinquency. This piece of work gives an in depth discussion of the various issues associated with gangs and youth crime with respect to what have been discussed by various authors.
Summary of the main arguments and findings presented in Hallsworth and Silverstone’s paper
Crime is an aspect that has raised concern among individuals, groups, and organizations especially due to its increased rate among the juveniles and the adults. Juvenile delinquency is the engagement of children and youthful offenders in criminal activities (Clark 1991).
From the article ‘that’s life innit: A British perspective on guns crime and social order’ by Hallsworth and Silverstone, there is a lot that can be depicted in regard to gangs and youth crime. The following are the main arguments and findings that the authors have brought out.
Research in this paper indicates that there has been an increase in the rate at which young people (or the youth) are engaging in criminal activities over the recent past. Some of the factors attributed to the increase include; peer pressure, emulation of people and the desire to copy and be like them, poor upbringing for example where the parents or caregivers do not offer guidance towards good behaviour, poverty due to unemployment and lack of education among others. The rate at which young people engage in lethal gun-related violence in the United Kingdom is on the rise and the consequences are too harsh to an extent of raising concern among various responsible individuals and groups. For instance, more than 80 people were reported dead over the last two years (Hallsworth and Silverstone 2009).
Hallsworth and Silverstone argues that although there have been a lot of violence, the main source is not quite clear and people live by speculations that the violence is linked to the emergence of a gun culture and gangs. This is however deemed to be an inadequate argument. Although there could be some truth in the argument, there is need to have a critical analysis of the situation in an effort to come up with factual conclusions.
A major argument of this paper is that much ought to be done in order to come up with the main issue facing security in the UK and that use of gun culture or gang culture excuses does not solve the problem. While gangs are a reality, they are not involved in most of the illegal shootings that are experienced but rather the truth is far more complex. Most gun users had been previously involved in gun related incidents such as threats, shots or injuries.
Apart from experienced professional criminals, there are also the ‘on road’ offenders who involve young people from barred backgrounds and who, as a means of survival or revenge, have decided on street-level criminology. ‘On road’ is a name that is given to the home of inhabitants of a volatile street world. The young men strive to earn a living through violent means. The research shows that it should not be assumed that violence experienced in the UK comes from gangs as this would imply that crimes originate from a world with recognizable social order. The authors also points out that the issue of gearing response to gun crimes around gangs is a negative move that contributes to further stigmatization of the most vulnerable.
A conclusion that can be made from Hallsworth and Silverstone’s work is that the significance of gangs is largely overstated in the UK. The right actions are not taken since the system is geared towards tackling imaginary gangs. To solve the gun issue in the streets, the root cause of the shootings should be discovered to come up with strategic measures.
John Pitts and Gangs
There are various perspectives and understandings that are associated with the concept of gang. In this section, I will give an insight into the views of John Pitts particularly with respect to the definitions he provides for the term ‘gang’ and the kind of gangs he claims to have discovered.
Although the concept of gangs seem known by many, a distinct definition seems hard to arrive at. This is because it is a concept that is surrounded by varying issues (Croall 1998). Despite the fact that there may be considerable number of gangs with respect to membership, the groups vary in terms of activities they are involved in. Some gangs are considered to be more harmful than others based on the kind of activities they engage in. The degree of harm linked with a given gang activity could be gauged through the consequences faced by the victims. For instance, according to Pitts (2007), a high level of harm is equated to serious offences such as rape, attempted murder, actual murder as well as commission of serious assaults.
Gangs are difficult to define. However, in London, the definition formulated by Hallsworth and Young (2005) has gained a lot of application in most agencies and institutions. According to these authors, a gang is defined as ‘A relatively durable, predominantly street-based groups of young people who see themselves (and are seen by others) as a discernible group for whom crime and violence is integral to the group’s identity’ (Hallsworth and Young 2005).
From Pitts paper, there exist other definitions of a gang as depicted by other authors or interested parties in the field of criminology. The following are some of the definitions:
According to Ruggierro & South (1995), it is a group of persistently associating people who have identifiable leadership and internal organization. The group usually has control over some territory and engages in violent and illegal behaviour in an individual or collective manner.
A gang could also be termed as any ongoing organization consisting of three or more individuals involved with various activities. The members of a gang engage in criminal activities either individually or in a collective manner (Chin 1995). It could also be termed as a group that uses violence or threat in a manner that fosters a criminal activity. This however excludes terrorists and football hooligans.
In general terms, a gang is looked at in terms of different influential characteristics for instance structure, durability, territoriality, and criminality (Muncie 1999). Some of the crimes associated with gangs especially those involving the youth offenders include, possession or use of drugs, supply of drugs, disorder, low level assault (ABH), serious assault (GBH), kidnap, murder or manslaughter, possession or use of a knife, possession or use of firearms, vehicle crime (TWOC), burglary or theft without violence, robbery or street crime, fraud and money laundering, criminal damage, graffiti and anti-social behaviour among others (Muncie, McLaughlin and Langan 1997).
Some of the gangs that Pitt has identified particularly with respect to Waltham Forest include Beaumont, Piff city, Priory court, Red African devils, Drive, Boundary, Canhall, Brookscroft, Higrams park, New world order, Asian auto theft, Polish gangs and Hackney Over ground commuters. All these gang types are similar in regard to the intention of formation but differ in terms of establishment or the period they have been in existence, the members and the subgroups in the gangs, their location, and territory of operation (Pitts 2007).
Pitts’ work shows that the concept of gangs is relatively wide and complex and requires some efforts to get a deeper understanding and thus come up with effective strategies of dealing with it for achievement of a long term solution.
Varying Perspectives
In general terms, a gang can be termed as an organized crime group where the members involved gather power to perpetrate criminal activities. Violence, use of specific languages, signs and symbols, and colours as a form of identity and recognition are the key aspects of a gang.
According to Lyman and Potter (1997), there are many reasons that motivate people in joining organized groups like the gangs. Some of them are; identity -where the people would like to be recognized as powerful people like the soldiers or warriors, recognition – where they gain a superior status that they feel could not have been acquired elsewhere, money and power- since they expect that the gang will be able to help them attain all their needs and therefore satisfy their desires, source of love – as they consider the gang to provide family love, maintenance of discipline that is made possible by their leaders through the stipulated rules and regulations, and finally as a source of belonging where the members take the gang as their family and they associate with it through the various activities they do as one. The gang culture is however associated with other general factors of dissatisfaction and disappointment in life matters for example unemployment, lack of education opportunities, rejection by parents and family members, and poor upbringing where they lack somebody to guide them towards positive living among others (Short 1997).
As earlier noted, different perspectives could be observed from different authors and schools of thoughts in regard to the concept of indulgence of children and youths into criminal activities particularly gangs. To get an in-depth understanding of the gang concept, this assignment will consider different views that have been brought out by various responsible individuals and groups. Much emphasis will however be on the views of John Pitts and Hallsworth and Silverstone as depicted in their papers.
There are both similarities as well as differences with respect to the perceptions of gangs and all that is associated with them as seem in Pitts and Hallsworth and Silverstone’s papers. For John Pitts, organized gangs form part of what he has termed ‘the new face of youth crime’. In this statement Pitts finds organized gangs to have played a critical role in shaping the overall nature of youth crime. Organized gangs have been associated with a lot of issues that have made the problem of youth crime very contentious thus necessitating a lot of efforts to be taken to solve the whole issue. Although the issue of gangs is not new, the fact that many young people have resulted into it is an issue that has raised concern among various responsible parties. Indulgence in various criminal activities by the members of the gangs some of the being quite serious is also a disturbing issue (Maguire, Morgan & Reiner 1997).
Hallsworth and Silverstone’s have a different view in regard to gangs as it can be depicted in their description of life ‘on road’. Here, it is clear that firearms may be used in the context of a territorial fight between gangs. However, they are also used by individual members for reasons that have no relation to their gang belonging. As opposed to group life being organized in ways that produce violent outcomes as many have presumed; Hallsworth and Silverstone state that the social disorganization of the street world appears to be the problem. The ‘on road’ are the young, vulnerable, and disorganized who use guns in a less rational and predictable manner (Anderson 1994).
The young people are traumatized by the violence they witness and experience in their life. Faced with the a situation where they have an aspiration to achieve much but they lack opportunity, the young people result in criminal activities, for instance, dealing with drugs. Violence of any kind is considered crucial, as a way of survival in the ‘on road’, Hallsworth believes that in the violent street world, gangs could mitigate the problems if only they were as prevalent as people imagine (Hallsworth 2005).
On both occasions it is evident that gang issue is complex and ought to be handled in a more strategic manner to avoid confusion and unnecessary cost. However, while John Pitts sees organized gangs to have changed the perspective of youth crime, Hallsworth and Silverstone take it as a concept that have been there for long and the way forward lies in development of strategic measures of solving the specific problems that are observed rather than working on assumptions or imaginary conceptions (Curry and Spergel 1988).
From the above discussion it is evident that a lot can be said about the issue of juvenile delinquency and indulgence of the youths in gang activities in particular. The different definitions and perspectives are meant to make the understanding of the topic easier through provision of a wide range of ideas that help in comparing and contrasting of the information to come up with an effective conclusion.
Reference List
Anderson, E., 1994. The Code of the Streets. The Atlantic Monthly:81–94.
Chin, K., 1995. Chinatown Gangs. New York, Oxford University Press.
Clark, C.S., 1991. Youth Gangs. Congressional Quarterly Research 22:755–771
Croall, H., 1998. Crime and Society in Britain. London, Longman.
Curry, G.D., and Spergel, I.A., 1988. Gang Homicide, Delinquency, and Community. Criminology a26:381–405.
Hallsworth, S., 2005. Street Crime. UK, Willan Hallsworth, S. and Silverstone, D., 2009. ‘That’s Life Innit’: A British Perspective On Guns, Crime And Social Order. Criminology and Criminal Justice, 9; 359
Hallsworth, S., & Young. T., 2004. Getting Real About Gangs, Criminal Justice matters 55 12-13
Maguire, M, Morgan, R & Reiner, R (Eds).1997. The Oxford Handbook of Criminology, 2nd edition. Oxford, Clarendon Press.
Muncie, J. 1999., Youth and Crime: A Critical Introduction. New York, Open University Press
Muncie, J., McLaughlin, E., and Langan, M. (Eds).,1997. Criminological Perspectives, ed. New York, Open University Press.
Scholars have come up with different theories that seek to explain the foundation of juvenile delinquency, including why some regions record higher crime rates compared to others. The available schools of thought link juvenile delinquency to diverse forces that include young people’s unique personalities and the pressure associated with their external environments, including societal influences.
The article by Çam (2014) indicates an alarming increment in the rate of juvenile arrests in the U.S. and Turkey since 2000. In America alone, such figures vary from one region to another, and hence the reason why I believe that the social organization theory can effectively explain this situation. This paper depicts the selected theory as the best because it specifies a juvenile’s physical and social settings as major forces that influence their decisions to engage in criminal activities.
The Basic Tenets of the Social Disorganization Theory
In a study by Bond (2015), the social disorganization theory is founded on the awareness that adolescents’ current location or environment plays a huge role in helping to foretell their chances of engaging in criminal activities. In particular, regions that have higher numbers of juvenile delinquents usually have various issues in common, which end up fueling the existence of criminal gangs steered by young people.
According to Bond (2015), physical untidiness, poverty, and extensive cultural diversity characterize high-crime localities where juvenile delinquency is prevalent. Another principle of the social disorganization theory is that illegal engagements do not begin from the personal level. This theory holds that people who perpetrate crimes do not necessarily need to have previous records linking them to such misdemeanors.
Instead, their reactions to “abnormal” circumstances influence their desire to participate in wrongdoing, regardless of their age or gender. Hence, according to Lopez and Gillespie (2017), tenets of the social disorganization theory have been resourceful in the present-day juvenile delinquency system. In particular, as Junger-Tas (1992) reveals, they have helped interested parties to identify high-risk places where they can gather information regarding the rising levels of juvenile offenses, particularly in some regions that are linked to increased cases of chaos and minimal efforts of ensuring informal social control.
Why this Theory Best Describes a Young Person’s Decision to Commit Delinquent Acts
In the study by Hadjar, Baier, Boehnke, and Hagan (2007), young people’s mode of action is attributable to the combined input made by their respective parents and the society. This claim presents the family environment, especially where parents are more occupied in the labor force, as a major crime-breeding avenue among male and female juveniles. In line with the social disorganization theory, such parents are detached from their adolescent children to the extent that finding time to interact after work, at least to know how each family member spent their day, is impossible.
The emphasis placed on the aspect of poverty is another reason why the social disorganization theory best explains juveniles’ decision to engage in criminal activities. In line with the article by Kavish, Mullins, and Soto (2016), which examines the labeling theory in details, this school of thought assumes that localities that are identified as part of underprivileged urban neighborhoods are likely to be associated with a high number of delinquents who are further designated as deviants. However, a close examination of these disadvantaged regions reveals that indeed the aspect of poverty mentioned in the social disorganization theory influences young people’s decision to commit crimes in the effort of getting material goods or finances to satisfy their constrained needs, including shelter, food, and clothing.
Conclusion
Several theories have been put across examining the reason behind the observed increased cases of juvenile delinquency. However, the social disorganization theory stands out as the best school of thought that effectively presents young people’s surroundings or locations as the root of the issue. This theory appreciates that juveniles engage in crimes because of forces that originate from their external environments such as society among other conditions, including poverty.
Çam, T. (2014). Testing social disorganization theory for the causes of index (major) crime incidence among Turkish juveniles. Electronic Journal of Social Sciences, 13(51), 329-345.
Hadjar, A., Baier, D., Boehnke, K., & Hagan, J. (2007). Juvenile delinquency and gender revisited: The family and power-control theory reconceived. European Journal of Criminology, 4(1), 33-58.
Junger-Tas, J. (1992). An empirical test of social control theory. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 8(1), 9-28.
Kavish, D. R., Mullins, C. W., & Soto, D. A. (2016). Interactionist labeling: Formal and informal labeling effects on juvenile delinquency. Crime & Delinquency, 62(10), 1313-1336.