Define Status Offenses

Most people have preconceived notions regarding the relationship between social class and delinquency. A common assumption is that lower-class juveniles are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior than their higher-class counterparts. Criminologists have performed a large number of studies examining the socio-demographic characteristics of delinquents, which often yielded contradictory results. When analyzing the extent and trend of juvenile delinquency in the United States conclusions can be drawn from estimates derived from arrest records, self-reports, and victimization data. Arrest estimates, self-reported information, and victimization data provide different estimates of the extent of delinquency in the United States (Maxfield et

Curfew is a set time which teenagers will have to schedule their activities around. Generally, this curfew doesn’t change and helps your teen to understand boundaries. It is a wonderful idea for teens to have curfews because it teaches them to be responsible and also considerate of other people around them. As teenagers, it is natural for adolescents to feel like their freedoms are being taken away and that their parents don’t know what is best. However, curfew is put in place for the direct opposite, which is keeping teenagers out of trouble. Curfew teaches teenagers time management, it could lower the crime rate in local areas, and it could give teenagers an overall better relationship with their parents. Because of these reasons, I

When a juvenile commits a crime, it is not considered a crime, however it is considered juvenile delinquency. A massive problem throughout the US is juvenile delinquent acts. Juveniles acting out in a delinquent manner can be caused by many things. However, there is not just one reason why a juvenile may commit these acts. Instead there are many reasons that could lead up to delinquency. In this essay, I will be discussing a few theories as well as ways juveniles may receive treatment.

Although having a curfew for it to be illegal for teenagers to be on the streets after ten o’clock p.m. on weekdays or after midnight on weekends would be beneficial in exceptional and deficient ways, many citizens will disagree with having a curfew. The eminently important reason Dierks, Arkansas, should have a teenage curfew is for the security of the teenagers. Another reason is for the parent to have control over their child, instead of their child being undisciplined. On the other hand, having a curfew could hinder maturity.

Additionally, the juvenile justice system has become increasingly focused on the offense. Traditionally the juvenile court looked primarily at the offender, and what brought the young offender to court without focusing exclusively on the offense. The court has shifted, becoming much more offense based. Sentences are closely tied to the charges, and more and more cases qualify for the juvenile to be sentenced in the adult system. After serious strives to decriminalize status offenses, they are now being considered gateways into delinquent charges. The number of “children in need of services” or CHINS has also risen in the last decade. There is a lack of resources to provide CHINS with necessary services. As a consequence many of these

The law is strict to say that minors cannot be late at night outside, because there are no statistics that demonstrate that crimes have been committed during the night for minors, it is more probable

Underage drinking is very common in the United States. Alcohol is the most commonly used and abused drug in the United States, even more so than illicit drugs (Marijuana, Cocaine, etc…) and tobacco. “In 2012 the National Survey on Drug Use and Health reported that 24% of youth aged 12 to 20 years drink alcohol and 15% reported binge drinking. In 2013, the Monitoring the Future Survey reported that 28% of 8th graders and 68%

Juvenile status offenses are minor offenses that only apply to those under the age of 18 such as skipping school or running away from home. Other examples include curfew violations, possession and consumption of alcohol, and possession and use of tobacco. Theories such as the labeling theory and Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory attempt to explain why females commit juvenile status offenses. Additional theories attempt to explain their treatment in the juvenile justice system such as the Chivalry Hypothesis. Based on the rising rates of status offenses for girls and the unique factors that contribute to this issue, better prevention and

Juvenile delinquency incorporates two general types of behaviors. Status offenses is one of the general types of behaviors that are considered harmful or inappropriate for the children and adolescents. The behavior is consider harmful and inappropriate because of the age of the offender. An example of a status offense would be running away from home, ditching school, violating curfew, and smoking or drinking. As a result, this puts the burden on the parent to take care of their child. However, if an adult commits the behavior it’s considered not illegal. Though, there are parents that don’t care for their children causing this to be a serious issue.

A common debate within the Juvenile Justice System is the prosecution of Status Offenses. Status offenses, as defined by this book, are acts that are considered to be unlawful only when committed by a person who is under the age of eighteen or still considered a minor by the court of law. These offenses are listed as underage smoking and drinking, curfew violations, running away, truancy, and disorderly conduct. After researching this subject, I strongly agree that Status Offenses should be prosecuted within the Juvenile Court system.

Across the nation, social scientists and criminologists have researched and hypothesized the main contributing factors that promote juvenile delinquency. The Strain/ Anomie theory introduced by Robert Merton and later revised by several other theorists, attempts to explain why juvenile subculture tend to behave certain ways when confronted with pressures from everyday life. Revised by other theorists, the Strain theory attempts to provide the framework of juvenile delinquency and its sources in order to analyze the effectiveness of this assumption, as well as to implement certain crime prevention policies and programs to curb this problem. This paper is going to analyze how the Strain theory contributes it’s principles of delinquency

“According to the U.S. Justice Department, 83 percent of court referrals came from law enforcement agents in 2009.” (U.S. Justice Department,2009).Other arrests were deemed by the schools the offenders attended, the parents, the victims of the crime, and probation officers, if the offender had one. Under federal law, officers who had detained young offenders had to keep them secure while they were in custody for a period of no more than six hours. However, juvenile arrest procedures may differ depending on the police department. Police officers handle noncriminal behavior involving juveniles, Which is known as status offenses. For example, a juvenile who skips school, runs away from home and violates or have violated their curfew are all status offenses. The police may also intervene in

When a juvenile commits an act that would be criminal if committed by an adult, the juvenile is determined to be delinquent. Delinquent acts may include crimes against persons, crimes against property, drug offenses, and crimes against public order. Delinquency prevention efforts seek to redirect youth who are considered at-risk for delinquency or who have committed a delinquent offense from deeper involvement in the juvenile justice system (Deling, 2014).

Deviance among adolescents in our society has many different causes and multiple theories throughout the history of criminal justice have been developed to attempt to explain, prevent and reduce incidents of status offenses and juvenile delinquency. There are theories varying from individual, to social and environmental. All of these theories have their merits and contribute in one way or another to the advancement of the understanding of juvenile delinquency and the treatment and prevention of delinquency within our society. Those that have proven to be successful we have applied in our justice system while those that are proven over time to be ineffective or defective we have discarded. There is no single theory that applies to all delinquent behavior in all situations. It is best to determine what theory may work best in each specific case based on the individual and the specific situation. Dodge’s information processing theory of social problem solving (Crick and Dodge 1994) was developed by Kenneth Dodge in an attempt to explain the interaction between the child’s cognitive development and their social environment. This theory combines elements of both the individual and the social environment and examines how these two variables interact with each other to present a model for juvenile delinquency. During my investigation of this topic I discovered that an adapted model of Dodge’s theory existed that seemed to be more encompassing of the causes of juvenile delinquency,

Just because they have a curfew it doesn’t mean that they aren’t going to get in trouble. It may limit the things they do. Which in turn limits the trouble they get in, but it doesn’t stop them from doing things to get them in trouble. (Wylie Tanton said on April 11, 2012 “I personally think teens shouldn't have a curfew because whether or not they have curfew teens still get themselves into trouble, not only during the night. http://www.collegenet.com/elect/app/app?service=external/Forum&sp=42891)