Juvenile Delinquency theories stem from an array of individual, social and environmental conditions, in so labeling certain causes as to why juveniles commit criminal acts. Juveniles are identified as minors-under the age of 18, in which are treated separately for criminal offenses. In the film Kids, delinquent behavior is constantly demonstrated throughout the progression of the film. The film depicts a group of sexually active teenagers in New York City. Many of the characters exhibited at-risk concerns: substance abuse and early sexuality, in which directly correlates an increase in delinquent behavior. Therefore, this paper will further analyze and link four specific theories of juvenile delinquency in the film.
Edwin Sutherlands
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More specifically, this concept can be understood as the social disorganization theory. Shaw and McKay developed the notion that ecological environments are directly related to the social control of a neighborhood. If the neighborhood structure is negative, there is an undeniably increase of juvenile delinquents. Within the film, the urbanized area has a negative influence on the social and physical tendencies of the main character’s behavior. For instance, throughout the film, Telly and Casper are constantly committing delinquent behavior to obtain certain means in their neighborhood. From a scene displaying Tellys household, there is surely a struggle of money flowing into the household. Given Tellys mother’s situation with her new baby, the mother is clearly preoccupied and can’t prioritize her interest with Telly. Therefore, demonstrating a lack of parental supervision and a lack of discipline throughout the film. Evidently, with the lack of money cycled throughout the household, Telly relies on delinquent habits to surpass the structural constraints of society.
In addition, Psychodynamic trait theory by Sigmund Freud demonstrates the mental development of the main character’s personality traits in the film. Freud theorized that a personality comprises of three parts: ID, Ego and Superego. The ID represents an
Focuses mainly on interactionist theory but uses labeling theory as a type of interaction that affects delinquency. Labeling specifically in relation to gender, used to explain the gender gap in juvenile delinquency. Used data from the 1976 National Youth Survey, a longitudinal study, uses a multistage cluster sampling, sample includes 1,725 11-17 year-olds, using the first three annual waves of data. Used personal interviews to collect self-report of delinquency, parents ' appraisals of their children, and youths ' reflected appraisals of themselves from the standpoint of parents, friends, and teachers. Labeling theory implies that males are more likely than females to be labeled delinquent, in part because they engage in more objective acts of rule violation, and in part because common stereotypes portray delinquency as a male phenomenon. Except status offenses, which are more often reported for and enforced on females rather than males. Believed that females may be more relationship-oriented, making them more sensitive to public opinion. The labeling process is more consequential for females than for males is also unsupported.
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.
For centuries Earth has had many problems that seek to corrupt the good things that every person strives to have in his or her life. As the twenty-first century is nearing two decades old many have been solved, yet so many remain or are being discovered. Juvenile delinquency is one of the many conflicts that occur in the world. How can it be put to an end? To solve a problem knowledge must first be obtained and data analyzed for conclusions. There are specific traits that juveniles have that help determine the risk of delinquency in a child. These can be caused by a vast number of environmental factors ranging from simple peer pressure to as grave as relying on deviant acts for survival due to parental neglect or abuse. A big problem with
Living in poverty when I was a child, made me realize now that I am older how my life could have been completely different. I had family and friends who lived in a single parent household and others who lived with both of their parents; it made a tremendous impact on how they would behave, their morals, and values. Many of the other children who used to live in the same neighborhood as I did not appreciate the same values I would. Some of us continue going to school which was a small percentage while others become dropouts and started harming other people, and got involved in gangs. Living in property as a kid is extremely difficult because of all the negative activities occurring around you. Family structure is a big factor of juvenile
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.
A review of a wide range of literature indicates that researchers have conducted significant research on this particular topic on juvenile delinquency and the impacts that the general strain theory has had in understanding such behaviors. However, the majority of these studies have not been able to provide a clear connection between the negative behaviors shown among teenagers and youths and their criminal behaviors. In most cases, researchers argue that such behaviors may come about due to
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).
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.
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.
Twentieth-century Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud established the psychoanalytic theory of the id, ego, and superego as the three parts of the human personality --the id is the instinctual part; the superego is the moral part, and the ego is the part that mediates between the id and the superego. The three parts are all necessary to have a stabilized personality; a part alone creates an imbalance that offsets the personality producing an ill effect. In the 1947 psychological drama A Streetcar Named Desire,
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
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
In reviewing the reading assignment, developmental theories are known theories that believe that delinquency starts to develop and does not start because of an underlying condition, but at the entire life course (Regoli, Hewitt, & DeLisi, 2014). I do not believe that there is a place for “get tough” on crime initiative within the developmental theory. Get tough on crime approach will only place more juveniles in other facilities, or even in jail with adult offenders. I believe that this is only banned aiding the problem, and will not get to the root cause of why he or she has committed the crime, or continue to commit crimes. In taking the development theory approach, it will look deeper than the person committing a crime, but what is going
In conclusion, all three of the theories show how important it is for juvenile’s to get the love and support from family, friends and community members. Showing that education is key to success if you want to outreach what society stero types juvenile offenders. When you have programs that want to help every step of the way, even after treatment that shows commitment to these young teens. They can get out of the life of crime and become anything that they put their minds to. In the end, you are the only person that can change your outcome by the choices you make in life.
Social scientists have analyzed the factors that affect juvenile delinquency. Single parenting, violence in media, unfair social structure, poverty, and the lack parental guidance and discipline are factors of juvenile delinquency. Each of the factors plays a part in delinquency, but mass media has the starting part being the role that molds the dispositions that leads to juvenile crime. Our everyday lives are immersed with internet activity, television, radio, music, books, and video games. We are moving toward a world of mass media environment. Media in general has a powerful impact on whoever wants to truly define and understand the message that is being delivered. Regardless of what type of media we are participating in we are collecting the ideas and views of the creators. Media is a configuration how we share and exchange opinions. Media plays a significant role in the influence of the guide we use to model lifestyles. The different types of media mold our beliefs and value system. The core of media basically channels how we should spend our money, what we should become, and what we should do to live a prosperous.