Juvenile Delinquency Essay - 1646 Words

A juvenile delinquent offense is an act committed by a juvenile for which an adult would be tried at a criminal court. New statistics give an alarming picture: juvenile delinquency is higher as never before. According to the census bureau, in 2008 there were 1,653,000 recorded delinquent offenses in the United States. This is a 23.6% increase from 1990 when 1,337,000 delinquent offenses occurred. Today, a lot of people demand lowering the age of criminal responsibility and draconian penalties (Jenson Howard, 1998; Melton, Petrila, Poythress, Slobogin, 2007). These individuals react to this obvious social crisis with an attempt to fight the phenomenon with curbing the symptoms but without considering the causes which are created†¦show more content†¦This paper will give an overview of the causes of juvenile delinquency, the treatment, and an excursion to other countries and their causes of delinquency. The increasing globalization and the need for collaboration between the different countries make this comparison necessary. Causes of Juvenile Delinquency There are many theories that attempt to explain the causes of juvenile delinquency. Those theories either focus on the individual or on the society as a major influencing factor. Theories that consider the individuals as the cause, assume that children and juveniles commit crimes because they were not penalized for previous misdeeds or assume that the juveniles have learned their criminal behavior through the interaction with others (Ferguson, San Miguel, Hartley, 2009). A person that is alienated from society may be more prone to committing crimes. The theories that question the role of society in juvenile delinquency, assume that children, that commit crimes, act because frustration about their inability to develop beyond their socio-economic status or try to reject the dominating values of society (Brezina, 2008). Most theories of juvenile delinquency deal with children from disadvantaged families and ignore the fact that children from rich families also commit crimes. Those juveniles merely do not get arrested as frequently (Tapia, 2010). This group of juveniles can commit crimes because theyShow MoreRelatedJuvenile Delinquency1154 Words   |  5 PagesDiscussion In common parlance, there is an understanding of juvenile delinquency as meaning adolescents breaking the law or participating in mischievous behavior. Defining juveniles as being under the age of 18 years is the general rule of thumb because, in the current legal system, upon reaching this age individuals can be tried as adults, serve in the military, and, in some states, consume alcohol. (Reckless, 1972) One may ask why juvenile delinquency is viewed as a separate construct from adult deviantRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency2109 Words   |  9 PagesJuvenile Delinquency 1 Juvenile Delinquency: Features, Causes and Solutions Shen Cheng Class: 110 Teacher: Stephanie February 29, 2012 Juvenile Delinquency 2 Outline I. Introduction Thesis statement: Nowadays, there is no denying that Juvenile Delinquency has become one of the hottest social issues. The features, causes, and solutions of Juvenile Delinquency will be discussed about in this research. II. The features of Juvenile Delinquency A. The average age of juveniles who commitRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency2343 Words   |  10 PagesOpener: B. Thesis statement: This term paper explores how family issues attribute to juvenile delinquency and how to overcome it. II. First and foremost, an unstable family structure is one of the contributing factors to juvenile delinquency. A. Single-parent household vs. two-parent household B. Child maltreatment 1. emotional neglect 2. physical abuse III. Secondly, studies have shown that juvenile delinquency is conclusively related to the family environment. A. Family cohesion B. Increasing numberRead MoreJuvenile Crime And Juvenile Delinquency1322 Words   |  6 PagesVersion). Juvenile crime, in law, term denoting various offense committed by children or youth under the age of 18. U.S. official crime reported that in the mid-1900’s â€Å"about one-fifth of all persons arrested for crimes were under the age of 18† (Funk Wagnalls, 2014). Such acts are sometimes referred to as juvenile delinquency (Funk Wagnalls, 2014. Offering constructive programs reduces juvenile delinquency and reduces recidivism. â€Å"From the beginning, the principal consideration of the juvenile courtsRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency : Adult Delinquency2861 Words   |  12 PagesAlexis Kelly SOC 333 William Franks Spring 2015 Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs What is juvenile delinquency? Juvenile delinquency relates to minors who commit law violations. Instead of adults commiting â€Å"crimes’, juveniles are considered to commit â€Å"delinquent acts†. Society sees juvenile delinquents as immature and in need of guidance, which is different to adults, who are seen to be responsible for their crimes. Juvenile delinquency can occur in any community, neighborhood, and schoolsRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency2264 Words   |  10 PagesJuvenile Delinquency is the participation of illegal behavior by a minor who falls under a statutory age limit. A delinquent is a minor who commits a crime or a status offense. A status offense is conduct that is illegal only because the child is under age i.e. smoking cigarettes (Senna 10, 20). The cases of Eric Smith, Lionel Tate, and an unidentified NJ child are similar only because, they are guilty of killing another child, but the Criminal Justice System treated and punished them very different lyRead MoreJuvenile Crime And Juvenile Delinquency1458 Words   |  6 PagesDay in and day out residents and visitors to the Boston area are affected by juvenile crime and delinquency. Though the crime rates in MA and across the nation are on a steady decline, these juvenile crimes are still considered a serious matter that needs attention. It is thought that juvenile offenders do not cope as well with the criminal justice system as well as adults may be able to and therefore there needs to be a focus on how the system can better aid in the rehabilitation of these youthfulRead MoreThe And Prevention Of Juvenile Delinquency970 Words   |  4 PagesJuveniles in the justice system is an issue relevant not only to people in the criminal justice system but to society in general. There have been a number of studies done that link serious behavior problems in children to adult criminal conduct. In more recent years, there has been more research done regarding the causes and prevention of juvenile delinquency. The Department of Juvenile Justice lists 3 broad categories with many subcategories to help us understand what contributes to juvenile delinquencyRead MoreJuvenile Delinquency Is A Problem1508 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile Delinquency When looking into the history of United States and elsewhere juvenile delinquency is a problem and has been one for over a century. Like other systems in place, the system involving juvenile delinquents has gone through many stages. In the case of the juvenile delinquency, it has gone through four stages, with us presently in the fourth. The causes behind juvenile delinquency are still unknown even today. Some blame it on the current culture, the over-exposure to violenceRead MoreEssay Juvenile Delinquency1499 Words   |  6 PagesMain Post: Juvenile delinquency is a problem that affects society as a whole. Understanding Juvenile delinquency is important because it is part of trying to figure out how people in American society should react to it; specifically, in terms of law enforcement officers, their agencies, and State legislators. When deviant behavior becomes continuous, chronic and widespread it gets perceived as a significant part of the population as threatening to the general well-being of society (Thompson