Juvenile Delinquency Theories

Juvenile delinquency is not a new concept; it has been around for decades. It is doubtful that it will ever stop but there are ways to prevent it. This paper will cover two perspectives of prevention. One being types of programs offered both by communities and the state, the other perspective looks into faith-based programs and how these two types are similar and how they differ. It will touch on ways that they may be able to work together for the benefit of those that are at the most likely to fall into a life of delinquency and crime. The Bible states in 1 Timothy 4:8 “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come” (Holy Bible KJV , 1989). This is why delinquency prevention is so important it helps to lead the present life in the right path for a positive, productive future for these adolescents in their life to come.

Juvenile delinquents are minors, usually defined as being between the ages of 10 and 18, who have committed some act that violates the law. These acts aren’t called “crimes” as they would be for adults. Rather, crimes committed by minors are called “delinquent acts.” Instead of a trial, the juvenile has an “adjudication,” after which he/she receives a “disposition” and a sentence. However, juvenile proceedings differ from adult proceedings in a number of ways (Reuters, 2017). Delinquent acts are put into two categories. The first category of a delinquent act is one that would be considered a crime had an adult committed it. Given the serious nature of the crime(s), some jurisdictions will try young offenders as adults. The second type of delinquent act is age related or “status crimes” meaning that the crime(s) wouldn’t normally be performed or committed by an adult. For example, staying out past curfew or skipping school known as truancy is an act of a status crime or age related crime.

The goals of juvenile corrections are too deter, rehabilitate and reintegrate, prevent, punish and reattribute, as well as isolate and control youth offenders and offenses. Each different goal comes with its own challenges. The goal of deterrence has its limits; because rules and former sanctions, as well anti-criminal modeling and reinforcement are met with young rebellious minds. Traditional counseling and diversion which are integral aspects of community corrections can sometimes be ineffective, and studies have shown that sometimes a natural self intervention can take place as the youth grows older; resulting in the youth outgrowing delinquency.

Juvenile delinquency is very prevalent especially among adolescents because studies have shown that during the time of adolescence that is when delinquency tends to increase and once adolescence has passed at about 17 years of age then it tends to decrease (Adolescent Delinquency, 2002). There are many factors that can contribute to the increase of delinquency during adolescence, some of the factors can be personality, mental disorders, genetics, economic status, environment, family, and culture among others, also to understand better the causes of juvenile delinquency the social control theory is the best theory to explain juvenile delinquency as a whole (Adolescent Delinquency, 2002).

In the past several years researchers have found intervention strategies and program models that hope to prevent juvenile delinquency and promote good social attitudes and development (Greenwood, 2008). More than 1,000,000 adolescents go through the American Criminal court system every year and of those approximately 160,000 juvenile offenders are sent to juvenile placement centers (Henggeler & Schoenwald, 2011). The U.S. criminal justice system has been wise enough to realize that treatment programs need to be implemented in order to lessen recidivism in these young offenders and help ensure that they go on to live healthy productive lives.

This essay will compare and contrast some psychological and sociological approaches to studying juvenile delinquency and disorder behaviour. The question is what makes people behave disorderly. Youth disorderly behaviours are studied using different approaches including psychological and sociological approaches. Both psychological and sociological approaches to studying juvenile delinquency are necessary. This essay starts with outlining and defining disorderly behaviour and juvenile delinquency. Then, it will look at the work of Eysenck, the Cambridge Study of Delinquent Development research which was a longitude study and the Integrated Cognitive Antisocial Potential theory by Farrington, all fit in psychological approach; studying the connection between personality and disorder. It will then look at Sociological approach by looking at the work of Howard Becker, Stan Cohen and Stuart Hall. This essay will be analysing and comparing their theories and separating the differences and noting the similarities in their ideas. This essay will provide evidence for each theory. It will then conclude by specifying significant similarities and differences in the light of the evidence presented.

Statistics show that in the United States, there were more than 4,000 arrests “for every 100,000 youths” between the ages of 10 and 17 in 2011 (USDOJJDP, 2011a). Juvenile delinquency is defined by Webster’s dictionary as “conduct by a juvenile characterized by antisocial behavior that is beyond parental control and therefore subject to legal action” (“Juvenile delinquency,” n.d.). A number of jurisdictions have been exerting effort to prevent minor offenders from involvement in the juvenile delinquency system (USDOJJDP, 2011b). Efforts have been made due to the emphasis on detrimental effects of juvenile delinquency and confinement on youth put forward by research. The following paper will describe the a number of social factors as well as the cooperative cognitive and biological factors that contribute to the development of juvenile delinquency and promote understanding of the psychological process.

According to Hawkins and Weis, juvenile delinquency is a social problem because it not only affects the offender, but also the victim(s) and the surrounding population. Almost two thirds of adults worry about becoming the victim of a juvenile offense, so figuring out what decreases these behaviors will be beneficial to the whole society. Prevention can be categorized as early intervention or primary prevention. Early intervention seeks out individuals who are at high risk for delinquency and primary prevention tries to prevent initial delinquency at the institutional level. Since delinquency is a social problem, it needs to be approaches with a social development model, so Hawkins and Weis integrated control theory and social learning theory

The question still remains as to the correlation between behavioral variables such as drugs, gang violence, unstableness of families, etc. and how they are important tools when explaining deviant behavior. These tools are often developed into theories in order to attempt an explanation and prevent initial and/or future deviant behavior in juveniles. All causation theories will be explained through the content of this research paper because no single theory is sufficient in trying to explain why juvenile delinquent behavior exists. However, this paper will significantly highlight on the psychological theories. Next, certain treatment and prevention interventions will be addressed as it relates to the attempts of controlling delinquency.

The best way to try and deter crime is though some of these theories that can be integrated without upsetting the building block it needs to build on. Not destroying these blocks will take theorist, parents, families, schools, peer group, etc. to step up to understand that if we are not the solution then we are in turn the problem. What we put into today’s youth will determine if they can walk away from criminal acts or join into these types of behavior. Farington, (1994a), Tremblay & Craig (1995) stated it best, if the root of crime are in the first years of life, then the most effective way of preventing crime is through early intervention programs. Additionally, if we can integrate strain theory, social learning and control theories social, communities, parents, families along with early intervention programs, just maybe we can deter youths from crime and develop a workable integrated approach to this

"The only way to tell whether a given event is reinforcing to a given organism under given conditions is to make a direct test. We observe the frequency of a selected response, then make an event contingent upon it and observe any change in frequency. If there is a change, we classify the event as reinforcing to the organism under the existing conditions." (Skinner, 1953) What does that even mean? Scientists use so many worlds to say the simplest things. Basically, behavioral psychology is known as behaviorism and based on a theory of learning that is significantly contingent on the premise

This paper explores eleven published articles that report on results from research conducted on the factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency and the solutions to correct or prevent this delinquency. In the history of the construction and implementing federal laws, it has been imperative to take actions and make procedures in response to the increasing number of minors who violate the laws. The formation of a juvenile justice system that is made up of proper course and development was created. It is important to point out the reasons why these juveniles do offensive and criminal acts in order to form systematic and efficient solutions. These factors have been the basis in creating solutions against juvenile delinquency. The juvenile justice system made certain steps and processes to respond and take action against juvenile crime. They created facilities where the accused juvenile can be rehabilitated for a certain time so that he or she will be transformed by the time he or she leaves the reform center. Families, schools, and communities are encouraged to get involved for the betterment of the youth. They are suggested to be a strong support to the youngsters and join them with other activities that promote self-esteem, development, and self-confidence to keep them away from trouble. It is also recommended that they take note of each of the factors and to make solutions individually in response to the existing issues.

To determine the effectiveness causal factors of crime the social control and bonding theory will be applied by conducting a meta-analysis on an empirical study. The Social Control Theory tells us about the behavior of juveniles and how they relate to the ties of society. A juvenile that has a strong bond to its society produce more positive actions. A juvenile that has a weak bond with its community can lead to criminal behavior. The Social Control Theory implies that the environment can affect behavior. The study of the Social Control Theory focuses on “the relationship between social control and social learning at the level of inter-personal relations, specifically the joint influences between parents and peers as they relate to delinquent behavior”(Champion, 2004). Family ties, commitment to society, and the belief of what is important are a few elements of the social control theory. The Social Bond Theory puts focus on an individual and their peer influences and peer groups. In this theory, attachment is extremely important when it pertains to parental figures. The strength or weakness of a family is a great variable and

The second study deals with the application of two criminological theories on Juvenile delinquency contributors. "Causes of juvenile delinquency have become an important aspect of criminological study because, with the knowledge of what contributes to delinquency, the scientific community can possibly slow down the continuous act of offending through implementation of prevention strategies". To illustrate, "Criminological theory is used to define and help understand why certain contributors are the foundation for juvenile delinquency, along with the continuity of crime for an adolescent, but also what factors contribute to a decrease in criminal activity, also known as desistance" (Burns, 2013, p. 5). Peer influence, family environment, parenting styles, school environment, and community structure are examined by researchers as some predictors of juvenile delinquency.

This paper is going to highlight the social bonding theory. Control theorist Travis Hirsch i’s believes the cause of delinquency is based on the idea that people have innate desire to commit crime ( Griswold, and , Roberts, Wiatrowski 1981) .basically no matter how much one prevent crime, someone is bound to commit crime. According to social bond there are four factors that can determine rather an individual is going to deviate from societal norm; Attachment, Commitment, Involvement, and Belief (Grisworld et. al 1981). Example of the social bonds Attachment- family, commitment- school councils and the goals to pursue higher education. Involvement- dance, afterschool programs, and camps the involvement in different activities to keep busy. Belief – Religiosity, active in church groups, attends church frequently