Introduction The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, this country is known to have the greatest number of people go to jail yearly than any other state shown in records. Chicago, Illinois is known to be the city that never sleeps, the city that encompasses the highest rates of homicides, drug smuggling and highest incarceration rates among African American males. Delinquency is a social term in society often used to describe individuals who have been involved in criminal activity. This term refers to criminal behavior, which is variously defined by different legal systems. Juvenile Delinquency is prominent in inner city communities- vastly lower income poverty shook areas. Background Juvenile Delinquents are being incarcerated at earlier ages as time progresses. The term delinquent speaks of two or more youths, typically amongst the ages of ten and seventeen years old, who are involved in doings well-defined as illegal. The study of juvenile delinquents in inner city Chicago have been studied for many years and the rates continue to sky rocket as juveniles are being locked down by the justice system. Cases of violence amongst juveniles has been increasing rapidly in the past 20 years, juveniles are now linked to severer crimes, and it can be speculated that regardless of efforts of rehabilitation that the recidivism of juveniles relapsing is very great. Thus leading to physiological and mental problems that can be damaging to the youth as
Juvenile institutions and programs have changed over time. There are also juvenile programs that necessarily do not punish juvenile’s delinquents but instead help modify their behavior to avoid recidivism. Certain treatments and methods regarding how to deal with these dangerous young offenders were fixed and improved to make these institutions and programs more effective in changing the lives of these young
According to T. Williams at https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/29/us/us-prison-population.html?_r=0, (2016). “The number of inmates held in state and federal prisons, fell to its lowest level since 2005 dropping by 2.7 percent.” However, while adult crimes seem to be decreasing. The opposite can be said about juvenile related crimes which seem to be increasing. In this paper, I will be providing my reasons as to why I believe juvenile related crimes are going up, as well as talk about two programs that are working to keep at risk youth out of the criminal justice system.
Several studies have provided data that often indicate crime rates are higher for certain ethnic groups of people in the United States. Much of this research on delinquent behavior tends to show that African Americans account for a greater proportion of the juvenile delinquents in America. With African American juveniles accounting for more than 57% of arrests for manslaughter and more than 67% of arrests for robbery, this growing national problem has caught the attention of researchers, criminologists, and society. African American youth also account for a large percentage of nonviolent offenses such as property offenses and drug related arrests (Kang and Burton). Several theories have been developed to try and find a better understanding or perhaps provide a more inclusive insight as to why African American youth are likely to become involved in delinquent behavior.
Juvenile delinquents have created a subculture that provides them with motives, reasons, and justifications that enable them to account for their involvement in proscribed activities. Within this subculture they have developed a rational to justify their misdeeds, during times when they are brought under scrutiny by police, courts etc. For instance, when youth engage in a crime, and are charged with a criminal offense, they deny their involvement. What youth fail to realize, is that as they engage in criminal acts, they disrupt the fabric of society.
Juvenile delinquency is a social issue in the United States today. Juvenile delinquency, is when “a violation of the law is committed by a juvenile and is not punishable by death or life imprisonment” (Juvenile Delinquency). The juvenile system is different from the adult system in many way and most juvenile delinquents are from the age of ten to the age of seventeen (Juvenile Delinquent). Once the delinquent or anyone is at the age of eighteen, they are considered to be an adult. Therefore, in the justice system they are tried as an adult. There are many different reasons why a child would commit crime, such as mental and physical factors, peer influence, home conditions, neighborhood environment and school conditions. Teens are greatly influenced by the interactions and surroundings they are around. Their behaviors can result from the parent and/or their peer influences. Parents play a great role in the child’s life and a teen’s peers also play a strong role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not insight. This research will examine links between the social environment of teens and how it influences the teens actions and behavior which leads them to commit an offense.
There is one condition that frequently co-exists with juvenile delinquency about which a great deal is known. And that is mental health disorders (Underwood & Washington, 2016). It is known, for instance, that the prevalence rate of youth in the juvenile justice system with mental disorders is generally higher than those youth in the general population of adolescents (Grisso & Barnumn, 2000). It is estimated that 50 to 75 percent of the nearly two million youth who enter the juvenile justice system each year meet the criteria for a mental health disorder (Wald & Losen, 2003; Teplin, Abram, et al., 2002; Grande, Hallman, et al., 2012; Gottsman & Schwarz, 2011; King, Abram, et al., 2011). Furthermore, approximately 40 to 80 percent of incarcerated
The Juvenile Justice System is the system used to address and deal with youth who are caught and convicted of crimes. The juvenile justice system interferes in delinquent behavior through police, court and correctional involvement. Youth and their parents or guardians can face a variety of consequences which includes probation, community service, youth court, youth incarceration, and alternative schooling. The juvenile justice system is similar to the adult system, operates from a belief that intervening initial in delinquent behavior will discourage teenagers from engaging in criminal behavior as adults. Furthermore, according to Elizabeth S. Barnert, statistic which stated that about 2 million juveniles were arrested and over 60 000 detained annually. The statistic displayed that the United States incarcerates a larger amount of youths than other industrialized countries. In addition, 1 to 3 incarcerated adolescents represent a high-risk, defenseless population with disproportionately high rates of unmet physical, developmental, social, and mental health needs, and higher mortality. Moving forward, 4 to 7 juvenile offending forecasts a higher likelihood of chronic adult offending, as well as adverse adult outcomes such as poor health, substance use, and increased mortality. Nevertheless, African American youths are approximately 5 times more likely, while Latino and American Indian adolescents are 3 times more likely, to be detained than their White counterparts. Also, 3
The juvenile justice system was created to help juveniles, decisions were based on what was in the best interest of the child. The debate that continues is, if juveniles should be rehabilitated or if punishment deters juveniles from committing crimes. History and theoretical factors have played a part in determining how the juvenile justice system functions. This essay will discuss the concept of both rehabilitation and punishment among juvenile delinquency.
There are so many issues facing our society today, especially in the criminal justice system. Within the criminal justice system, juvenile delinquency is an issue that I find the most overlooked and it is a problem that is growing, particularly in the poorer areas. The term juvenile delinquency refers to the antisocial or criminal activity under the age of 18 which violates the law. Everyone is affected by juvenile crime, parents, teachers, families and neighbors. It is essential that programs are implemented to help with juvenile delinquents. Although delinquency rates have decreased dramatically, the effect of delinquency still affects the victims of crime, the perpetrators and even the bystanders. There are many interventions that attempt to lower the rate of juvenile delinquency; some are successful while others are waste of resources.
Juvenile Delinquency is participation of illegal behavior by minors. Although it is no single path to juvenile delinquency, the presence of several risk factors often increases a youth’s chance of offending. Risk factors have been defined as those characteristics, variables, or hazards that, if present for a given individual, make it more likely that this individual, rather than someone selected from the general population, will develop a disorder(May 2014). Risk factors predict an increased probability of later offending but it is true that certain protective factors may work to offset risk factors. To determine this, an assessment is given to the juvenile. This risk assessment will configure the type of intervention that will best suit the individual youth needs in order to decrease their risk of offending. The top three key social factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency in the 21st Century are family, peers, and community. In this paper I will focus on the different aspects of each top key social factor and the affects it will have on the juvenile.
Characteristically, juvenile delinquency follows a similar path just like normal adolescent development and children tend to follow delinquent and criminal behavior rather than engaging in it randomly. Research has shown that there are two types of delinquents, those in whom the onset of severe antisocial behavior begins in early childhood, and those in whom this onset coincides with entry into adolescence. With either type, these developmental paths give families, communities, and systems the opportunity to intervene and prevent the onset of antisocial behaviors and justice system involvement (APA, 2017).
Juvenile delinquency is a problem these days, despite a recent drop in arrests. Roughly 2.5 million juveniles are arrested every year for different crimes in America. About 100,000 of those are violent crimes, however those statistics are slightly inaccurate since only half of juvenile crimes are reported (Juvenile Justice Basic Statistics, 2011). Creating interventions to assist at-risk youth means preventing them from starting on a path to crime is a priority. Juvenile justice system researchers and professionals must gain a better understanding of the contributing elements that cause delinquent behavior.
Many youth fail in school due to poor academic performance and poor attendance. Sometimes we cannot blame the youth for their behaviors because many come from problems at home such as physical abuse, neglect or abandonment. These are many of the few common factors leading to offenses made by youth. Analyzing areas and districts have allowed us to conclude the least and most crime rates. Shaw and McKay on p.21 show the rates of male juvenile delinquents in Chicago, 1900-1906. The map shows that a high rate of crime committed were around the central business districts where there is industry. Also, low rates of crime were shown in city’s periphery where there is a rise in industry. Studies indicate that there is a high increase of crime based on nationality. Delinquents come from
The participants for this study will include 200 juvenile delinquents that will be recruited from juvenile detention centers in New York, through a process of stratified sampling. Stratified sampling allows us to select participants from different areas of New York. To be eligible for this study, participants have to meet these requirements, 1) ages 14-17; 2) In juvenile detention; 3) able to speak and read in English. Participants were excluded from the study if they were, 1) Under the age of 14; 2) Over the age of 17; 3) Not in juvenile
Delinquent and criminal behavior among young people, as they grow up from childhood to an adult in an increasingly complex and confusing world, is a serious issue worldwide. Youth nowadays, have many different opportunities—some beneficial and some potentially harmful. Quite often, they choose the illegal path and commit various offences, become addicted to drugs, and use violence against their peers. Statistics shows that in all part of the world, rate of youth crime rose in 1990's. Youth who are at risk of becoming delinquent often face difficult circumstances. Children who for various reasons—including parental alcoholism, poverty, breakdown of the family, overcrowding, abusive conditions in the home, the growing HIV/AIDS scourge, or the death of parents during armed