Delinquency In The 1950's

THESIS STATEMENT: The world’s media today seem to have more violence than ever. Video games have vivid depictions of accident catastrophes, fighting and murder. Television news programs generally lead with a violent story in order to gain an audience. This is free society people can stay what they want. ‘’ Media violence has many negative effect on youth today to commit crimes in society.’’

Teen culture in the 1950’s took off with the introduction of “Rock ‘N Roll”. An estimated 13 million teens spent $7 billion in 1956.(5) Teens felt free to do whatever they wanted, but that was not totally true. There were many common rules for the teen society in the 1950’s. Some of the rules were: Obey authority, control your emotions, and don’t even think about sexual intercourse.(Silverman 6)

When it comes to the topic of violent media, some of us would readily agree it’s a controversial subject as to whether kids should or shouldn’t be exposed to it. This is because many children who view violent media react negatively rather than not being affected at all. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of what effects does it have on children. Whereas some are convinced that it is a healthy alternative for kids to express themselves, others maintain that it causes kids to become more aggressive and contributes to juvenile crimes.

The 1950s saw a greater emergence of psychological and psychiatric approaches to the problems of youth. Highlighting the growing significance of psychology and psychiatry in juvenile courts was the growing prominence of the teachings of John Dewey, Karen Horney, Carl Rogers, and Eric Fromm. Criminal justice was, it was clear at the time, showing greater acceptance of professionals in psychology and psychiatry. While there were no national programs that were based on the teachings Dewey, Horney, Rogers or Fromm, several outstanding local programs were created to deal with the psychological causes of delinquency. Prominent among these were the guided group interaction therapy approach instituted at Highfields in New Jersey in the 1950s. Guided group interaction was a therapy approach applied to delinquent teens at various juvenile facilities across the country. In addition, the youth assistance program, developed in Oakland County, Michigan in the

(1).The problem is that in the last four decades, the government and the public health amassed an impressive body of evidence identifying the impact of media violence on children. Since 1969, when President [Lyndon] Johnson formed the National Commission on the Causes and Prevention of Violence, the body of data has effectively grown and grown and it leads to an unambiguous and virtually unanimous conclusion: media violence contributes to

. A Sydney Morning Herald article, highlights the fear of the North American culture, the article written by Reverend Arthur Oliver, reveals a possible cause of the issue of youth delinquency. Oliver believed that delinquency had spread "beyond the slums. … The forces that debauched American youth – crime comics, films and radio shows accenting violence – were operating here" . Oliver even predicted it could become worse ‘worse’ when the newly invented television arrived to Australia. All that can be accurately stated in this quote is that Oliver like many older Australians was fearful of foreign influences, Oliver provides no tangible evidence for a link between juvenile delinquency and the introduction of American comics, films, and radio

Culture in the 1950s was rapidly changing. The term teenager arose in these post World War Two years to describe the phase of adolescence from 13-15. This

The 1950’s, a time of growth, a time of a technological advancement, a time of a new culture, this was America. Post WWII America was full of joy, full of ambition and overflowing talent that helped develop an amazing period in American history. One important outcome of this decade was the birth of Rock and Roll. Rock and Roll was new, it was hip, but it was also frowned upon by many of the adult population at this time. One particular effect that Rock and Roll was thought to be the blame for was the rise in juvenile delinquency. History shows that there was an enormous spike in delinquency during the 50’s. With the assumption that Rock was to blame makes one wonder how rock was correlated to the increase in juvenile delinquency, and why would one come to this conclusion? To understand the main effect of rock on delinquency one needs to observe the rejuvenated culture of the 1950’s, know what defined a juvenile delinquent in this period, what crimes were being committed by the youth, the political aspect against rock, and the influences that rock had on the youth culture in the 1950’s.

Juvenile offending is a concern in society today. Juveniles account for approximately 19% of the population but are responsible for 29% of criminal arrests (Cottle, Lee, & Heilbrun, 2001). Crime overall has been found to be decreasing throughout the last two decades. The issue is that the rate in which adult crime is decreasing is significantly greater than the rate in which juvenile crime is decreasing. Since the rate of juvenile crime is so high, juvenile delinquents are seen as predators and many believe they lack morals. The way in which media of today’s society constructs juvenile delinquency impacts the views of a community towards their youth and youth offenders. Media presents an inaccurate image of youth offenders as violent predators (Rhineberger-Dunn, 2013). This inaccurate image significantly promotes the myths that juvenile crime is rising, juveniles commit crimes that are primarily violent, and that juveniles are highly effected by recidivism and continue committing crimes into adulthood (Bohm, & Walker, 2013). It has already been stated though that crime rates have been decreasing over the last two decades so the first myth is refuted. The myth that juveniles primarily commit violent crimes is also very off. In most cases, juveniles are involved in property crimes and although there are some violent crime cases, they are very rare. When these rare violent crimes do occur, youth can be tried in adult court. The

Media is the most effective method of mass communication. There are many different sources of mass media; broadcast, advertising, digital, hypermedia, interactive, multimedia, new media, news media, print media, published media, recorded media and social media(Dictionary.com 2017). Considering all the different forms media can take, it isn’t all too shocking that media has had an influence on deviant behaviors. The media’s influence though, is attributed to promoting deviance rather than reducing it.

The media is a part of everyday life in American kids. Children are surrounded by technology, entertainment, and other media that is full of violence. Newspapers, magazines, radio, television, and the internet all contain violence. Today's media has a negative influence on children. The media does have an influence on them, but does it really influence them to act out even though they know it's wrong? Mass media, and its components, are very powerful and can influence one's mind, as well as their behavior. Children that imitate characters who use violence in the media and display aggressive behavior, tend to give them reason to believe that violence can happen without consequence. For children who grow up with poor adult examples or an

Before the 1950’s, parents monitored what their child’s surrounding was. After TV was introduced, it unlocked a door to an alien that dominated every home. The problem was that the parents did not remain in control. If they did a normal childhood could have taken place. (Wheeler21) Today, 99% of homes have a TV. More families own a TV than a phone. (Facts about Media Violence 1)

In today’s society, there are a number of factors that affect a child’s ability to learn. The media, for good and for bad, is the primary teacher of American youth. This environment reflects life itself, sometimes in a corrupt way, including the positive and heinous parts, along with the beautiful and hideous parts, as well as the charitable and violent parts. It is almost impossible to protect American youth from experiences reflecting the adult world when the media invades homes and becomes so much a part of everyday living. “American teenagers spend 31 hours a week watching television, 10 hours a week online, 4 hours a week reading magazines, and 17 hours a week listening to music” (Miss). Even though mass media is a huge part of a

            In recent times, the news media has cried out against violent media, painting it as the leading cause for youth violence. Following events such as the Columbine massacre, news sources have vilified violent media, claiming that it is a primary cause of violent behavior in youths. This analysis provides firm research on the subject from the opposing and supporting sources, giving a thorough definition to the term “violent media” and  brings forth evidence that other psychological effects and environmental factors are more significant causes of increased youth aggression than violent media.

Media is also being tied to the increasing violence in US children. “Children are increasing anti-social and aggressive behavior, become less sensitive to violence and those who suffer from violence, children may view the world as violent and mean fearful of being a victim of violence. Children may desire to see more violence in entertainment and real life, and children will view violence as an acceptable way to settle conflicts.”( Buchanan, A.M., Gentile, D.A., Nelson, D.A.,Walsh, D.A., Hensel, J. 2002) Astonishingly, more time is being spent on watching television then homework which differ from child to child. A child’s interpretation of what they watch depends on of their attention spans, the way in