Juvenile delinquents have been around for a long time, however it has not been until recently that society has cast light on this very serious issue. Nonetheless, there is still much that is unknown about juvenile delinquents which is why it is so easy for bystanders to label them as gangsters and criminals and forget about them. In reality, there are multiple factors that come in to play that when determining how juvenile delinquents got to the point where they are now. After watching the films Crips and Bloods: Made in America, Gran Torino, and A Better Life one is better able to understand what these factors are, such as income level as well as ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Despite the fact that all three of these films have very distinct plots, they are each able to accurately represent the various struggles that people from different ethnic and racial backgrounds have to face in their efforts to assimilate into the American culture. Now when applying the criminological theories to the protagonists in these films, one is able to gain a better insight as to why the characters in these films go down the path of delinquency. And with better explanations for their behavior, the viewer can better determine which course of action would be necessary help these troubled juveniles stay away from this dangerous lifestyle.
Each of these three films are focused on families from different races, and highlight their differences accordingly. The first film Crips and Bloods: Made
In the years prior to the creation for the Gang Resistance Education and Training (GREAT) program, America’s inner cities was experiencing a substantial increase of gang membership along the youth living in impoverished communities. During the early 1990s, many viewed gang activity as a particular community’s problem, but as youth and gang violence was increasing drastically across the United States’ inner cities, the public’s perception about this social issue changed. Due to the rapid rise of gang violence and youth membership, delinquent behavior by youths began to receive a substantial amount of academic and media attention.
Boyz n the Hood, filmed in 1991, illustrates the problems young African Americans endure while growing up in “the hood”. The Outsiders portrays similar struggles with young white males of a low socioeconomic class. Both films take place in tough neighborhoods where many young men are killed due to violent crimes, like drive-bys or street fights. Both films also depict a main character who is struggling with his own identity and place in the community; however, The Outsiders takes on a much darker tone than Boyz n the Hood likely due to the point the director of Boyz n the Hood was trying to make on ending black-on-black violence. In both Boyz n the Hood and The Outsiders, the directors portray the young male’s struggle to overcome impulsivity
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.
It’s safe to assume people prejudge others based on their titles in society. As Gordon Korman demonstrates with his book The Juvie Three, full of pre judging and titles. Juvenile delinquents, is perceived as “a kid who was neglected and raised wrong”. Although that can be accurate, it can also be completely inaccurate. As everyone has a story to tell about how the ended up where they’re at.
Even as delinquent subcultures classically are related to a wide variety of criminal activities, among delinquent groups and subcultures there is enormous disparity in the quality and force of group standards, morals, and interests. Furthermore, the degree to which delinquent activities is associated to these aspects is challenging. A large amount criminal
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
I've done my movie comparisons on Stomp the Yard which was made in 2007 and on the movie Frat Brothers which was made in 2013. It is the minority that is going to be described. The stereotypes in the movie include how people depict African American fraternities as dangerous, a waste of time, and a sure way to lower one's GPA.These films both display and explain characteristics of being in an African American fraternity, however one movie explains African American greek life from a more sterotypical point of view while the other film explains things from more of an actual and realistic point of view. The first thing to point out is the name of the films. One film, Stomp the Yard is about how one student who was very musically and dance inclined showed off his skills in a talent show and eventually became an aspirant for
juvenile delinquency is most likely to have a negative impact on society. The second characteristic is that if the hostility towards “youths” increases, they will eventually become “folk devils” therefore creating a division (Cohen 1973:16). The third is a form of consensus although concern is not nationwide; there should be global acceptance that the youths pose a threat to society. The fourth characteristic is formed up of disproportionality and the action taken is disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the accused group. The final characteristic is instability; moral panics are highly volatile and tend to disappear as quickly due to a lack of public interest or other rising news reports (Goode and Ben-Yehuda 1994:57).
For this assignment, I chose to watch the movie Gran Torino, directed by Clint Eastwood. Throughout this movie, I noticed there are a numerous amount of value and ethical issues that are present. Within the NASW Code of Ethics, there are values and ethical responsibilities that each social worker is to be held up to. All throughout the movie, Clint Eastwood portrays an excess amount of racism, particularly towards the Asian, specifically Hmong community. When I first started watching the movie, I recalled that the NASW strongly values the dignity and the worth of a person. I started closely paying attention to Walt Kowalski, played by Clint Eastwood. Considering how Walt Kowalski acts throughout the entire movie, he noticeably does not share the value of respecting the inherent dignity and worth of the person. As stated in the NASW Code of Ethics, social workers are expected to treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, regardless of individual differences and cultural and ethnic diversity. Adding on, when referring to the Hmong community, Kowalski continuously uses many derogatory racial slurs. A few of the slurs he uses include, “Gooks,” “Zipper heads,” and “Fish heads.”. By addressing the Hmong community with these slurs, it violates section 1.12 of the NASW Code of Ethics, which is Derogatory Language. According to the Code of Ethics, it is required to use accurate and respectful language in all communications. The use of this language is also a violation to
In the United States, juvenile delinquency is becoming a major problem in the communities across the country. Because of the actions that these juveniles engage in on a regular basis, taxpayers across the country are having to shell out hundreds upon thousands of dollars to rehabilitate these children in order to help them make better choices. This leads citizens to wonder what factors actually cause juveniles to live a life of crime rather than success. In short, there are three main factors that often cause children to live a life of crime. These three factors are social influences, psychological characteristics, and academic potential.
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
Crime and delinquency subculture reflects on culture patterns surrounding crime and juvenile delinquency. It is created not only by individuals, but as one culture, the American culture. Subculture is derivative of, but different from some larger referential cultures. This term is used to share systems of norms, values, individual, groups and the cultural system itself. Criminal or delinquent subcultures indicate systems of norms, values, or interest that support criminal or delinquent behavior. That’s why many juveniles are linked to the same criminal acts as youngsters. They tend to follow a pattern that is expected in their age group, like stealing. Young people experience their opportunity as
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).
The influential nature of the social trends occurring in the 1950’s, 1960’s, and 1970’s spurred a “trickle-down” effect into the 1980’s and 1990’s; new generations sought to redefine the scope of socially accepted practice based loosely on the pre-existing values of the previous generations and the recognition of the plight of their identifying group (Lilly, Cullen, & Ball, 2011, Pgs 295-306). Based on this, the rise in juvenile crime in the 1990’s can be connected to the deviation from socially acceptable behaviors, and perpetuated by the abrupt change in social trends occurring as a result of a settled populace. Was this juvenile crime trend a new generation of youth trying to define themselves, or the result of an indifferent populace of previous generations seeking solace from the social changes derived as a result of their era? The “do as I say, not as I do” mentality provides the perfect platform for deviance to occur by creating a unique double standard through inadvertent or blatant claim that the social and political complexities of one generation are superior to those of another. The rise in juvenile crime beginning in the 1980’s and running into the 1990’s is a result of the alteration to socially acceptable trends and practices; thus the aforementioned juvenile deviance is identifiable throughout the