Literature Review: Poverty and Juvenile Delinquency Essay

What effects does a low socioeconomic status have on juvenile delinquency? Can these effects be explained by one or more of the four theories studied within the field of Juvenile Delinquency? There are many correlations of a low socioeconomic status within juvenile delinquency. Things such as environmental influences, poverty stricken areas and even traits such as IQ or a low verbal IQ are correlated with low socioeconomic status and delinquency. Each of these factors can be explained by these four theories; Strain theory, Social Learning theory, Control theory, and Labeling theory.

this is point out that family, school and other social environment can lead young people to be a good person or a person who break law. I will focus on parts of family and school to support Rio’s idea. There is evidence that family relations are closely linked to (non) crimes. In a study examining the impact of social control on crime, these studies found a negative correlation between parental attachment and crime. Therefore, the greater the attachment to parents, the less likely they are to engage in illegal activities. It is noteworthy that in only one study of this report, only one parent was found to have no influence on criminal behavior (Brannigan et al., 2002). Also according to Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck’s article of “Unraveling Juvenile Delinquency”, they found that the impact of fathers and mothers on children is one of the five best predictors of crime. They also found that from another perspective, emotional relationships between children and their parents tend to be weaker among criminals. From this we can conclude that family attachment plays a role in the child's socialization and maintains his or her subsequent compliance with social rules. Researchers report that home attachments may explain the obvious impact of other variables. These interrelationships are certainly evidence of the importance of parental supervision. They are better seen as evidence of the importance of communication between parents and children (Glueck, S., & Glueck, E. 1950).

This research is important because understanding what makes a juvenile delinquent is necessary to know. Parents can be educated on what is affecting their teen to contribute to delinquent behavior. The family structure has been avoided by many citizens. Educating the public on the family structure can make a different in a teen’s life.

“The so-called traditional family, with a male breadwinner and a female who cares for the home, is a thing of the past” (Siegel, Welsh, & Senna, 2003, p. 194). This particular type of family structure can no longer be considered normal. Sex role changes have created a family in which the mother now plays a greater role in society and the economic process. The number of households that have children living with both parents has substantially declined. “Early social science researchers asserted that the “broken home” was the single most important factor in understanding delinquency” (Burfeind & Bartusch, 2011, p. 185). Less than half of the children born today will live continuously with their mother and father throughout their childhood. A disturbed home environment is believed to have a significant impact on delinquency. Family is the contributing unit towards children’s values and attitudes that mark the paths throughout their lives.

Where parents and their children reside can have a huge impact on their lives in many different aspects. Children with parents that are incarcerated, are typically raised in poor and poverty stricken neighborhoods. “Of course there are middle-class and even some wealthy offenders, but when proportioned, over 90 percent of offenders are what we would define as poor” (Maier 93). “Poverty is the big background picture, the framework, the major context for crime, criminal behavior, and incarceration” (Maier 93). Although it may not be preventable, living in areas where crime occurs so regularly and drugs are at such easy access, it is hard for these parents to avoid it all and they end up falling short to the temptation of it all. So for those living in

Juvenile delinquency and recidivism are a major problem within our country today. There are a number of programs out there that provide treatment for issues such as drug addiction and abuse. There are other programs that provide help for gang involvement, provide help to female offenders, provide help with family counseling, and for mental health issues. There are still others that help with community outreach and help with parenting and helping the family dynamic. Providing effective treatment for offenders in the juvenile justice system is a cornerstone of any effective response to juvenile crime. To help address treatment issues that have failed in the past “Wraparound” programs have been created. This paper will set out to define what “wraparound” is and how it applies to the juvenile justice system. It will also serve to address and identify how it addresses the many issues that face the youth today in the many facets of society.

One of the biggest causes of delinquency is the lack of stable family structure. For instance, a child could be hurt, if not receiving passionate love and care from their parents. Those not receiving love from their parents or their guardian as a child will probably act out for attention or start creating bad behavioral habits. I know every family is not a perfect and not every child is fortunate to have their parents in their lives. In this paper there are four objectives that I will talk about the lack of stable

The critical discusses about fact sheet, cases and the consequences of the amount of homelessness youth. These homeless youth are around under the age of 18 who live alone. Sometime these young people are referred as unaccompanied youth and lack parental. This amount of the homeless youth is calculate or judgment by the office of juvenile justice and delinquency privation in the US department. By the recent study there are a lot of numbers of homeless youth run always from their department. According to the national network of runaways and youth services about six percent of homelessness youth are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender also the other ten percent of homeless youth were recorded as pregnant.

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The strongest link between parenting and delinquency is the lack of support in the form of neglect, hostility, psychological control and rejection of the child or a combination of these parenting behaviors (Merrin, Hong & Espelage, 2015). The lack of parental involvement leaves children with feelings of worthlessness, confusion and it diminishes their drive to succeed. Chung & Steinberg (2006) note that adolescents who experienced low emotional support and inconsistent discipline from their parents, compared with youths from families characterized by warm interpersonal relationships and consistent discipline, reported having more deviant friends and being involved with more violent and nonviolent delinquent

Studies show that there is a link between parent child bonds and if there is a strong bond between parents and their child that child is less inclined to engage in delinquent behaviour (Young, Fitzgibbon and Silverstone 2014). To support this argument, a study done by Young, Fitzgibbon and Silverstone (2014) examined levels and trends of delinquency in different types of families such as extended families, single parent families and the size of the family. Results showed that those who came from extended families are more likely to join a youth gang versus those who came from smaller families (Young, Fitzgibbon and Silverstone 2014). Moreover, delinquency rates of those who came from non-traditional homes is 10-15% higher than those from traditional homes (Young, Fitzgibbon and Silverstone 2014). This shows that in larger families and in families where there is a single parent, the child is less supervised and therefore, there is a lack of attachment and bonds between family members.

Based on these findings, the conclusion that factors within the environment affected the behavior of the delinquents, citing (1) the absence or lack of controls for delinquents; (2) The behaviors are often condoned/ sanctioned by parents or other adults in the neighborhood; (3) the readily availability of opportunities to commit such unacceptable behaviors; and (4) lack of motivation, training, or opportunity for gainful employment (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Further, Shaw found that these activities began at an early age in males, instilled in them as games and other recreational activities. Here it is determined that “normal methods of official social control could not stop this process and that it was only later in a delinquent career that a boy identified himself with the criminal world” (Bohm & Vogel, 2011). Thus, as Shaw perceived delinquency as a result of social disorganization, he believed the use of individualized treatment would not be effective in reducing the delinquency

This paper examined the issues pertaining to how each influences the prevention or fostering of delinquent behaviors. Children have too much free time, and lack the skills in using that time positively, causing them to engage in negative behavior. This paper also examines the programs in which students are involved with in school, and whether or not they positively correlate with reduced delinquency. Lastly, this paper examines how the change in family itself has changed over time, from lack of father figures. Casual factors will include topics such as violence in media and racial tension, the appearance of new

Juvenile offending is a major problem in society. Understanding the risk factors that contribute to the increased likelihood of a juvenile to engage in delinquency is important. There are many factors that can influence the increased risk of juvenile delinquency. These factors include poverty, low socioeconomic status, age (Jarjoura, Triplett, & Brinker, 2002), race, gender (Lucero, Barret, & Jensen, 2015), education (Lucero, Barret, & Jensen, 2015; Jarjoura, 1993), and family structure (Anderson, 2002; Kierkus & Hewitt, 2009). It is important to examine if some risk factors can contribute more than others and to what extent they interact with one another. This paper will discuss three important risk factors that contribute to the likelihood of juveniles engaging in deviant acts. The three risk factors discussed are poverty, family structure, and educational attainment. In addition, this paper will demonstrate how these three risk factors interact with one another, resulting in a higher propensity for involvement in juvenile delinquency.

The social environment of teens holds an enormous influence on how the teens act and behave. Teens are easily influenced by their surroundings and they look to others for guidance. Their behavior results from that of the parent and peer influences. Parents play a particularly influential role in their child’s life and it is up to them to make sure that they are leading their sons or daughters in the right directions. A teen’s peers also play a large role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not around. A teen’s social environment, consisting of family and peers, plays a vital role in their life, therefore becoming the ultimate cause of juvenile delinquency.