Pathways Of Delaware Case Study

When it comes to juvenile delinquency an adolescent personality is usually impacted from different factors such as early child hood experiences of witnessing a crime, seeing a violent act, being the victim of a crime, or being around others or family who engaged in criminal activity, these factors can either create an adolescent with a positive or negative attitude, or an anti-social behavior which could create a path for a delinquent behavior (Wilson, p. 34). A study has shown that family interactions accounts for about 40 percent of the cause of an adolescent with an anti-social behavior, the study also shown that aggressiveness which is a common trait of adolescent who engage in delinquent acts is usually created from peer influences (Wilson, p. 34).

Incidents like abuse from family members, bullying, neglect, and sexual abuse are the most common. Repeated abuse can lead to psychological damage and emotional scarring. Not only are traumatic psychological experiences causing these juveniles to commit violent crimes. Situations, where children have poor education, a household without discipline, peer pressure, inadequate role models, low income, and substance abuse coupled with the wrong environment, can lead to a life of crime. These negative influences guide these juveniles on the wrong path towards crime. However, it does not mean these juveniles cannot succeed; it is however up to the juvenile to make the correct choices in their

Risk-Focused Juvenile Crime Prevention Risk factors for juvenile delinquency have been identified from multiple studies. These risk factors are different for older and younger juveniles. When focusing on the individual juvenile between the ages of

Research in adolescent brains has shown us that they use their amygdala to make decisions. Amygdala is responsible for fear and anxiety making juveniles reliance on it quite dangerous. In male adolescent in particular we see an increase in testosterone which increases aggression and in females the increase of hormones causes depression & anxiety causing irrational choices. (American Bar Association, 2003) Often the underlying issue behind juvenile delinquency is due to factors that they juvenile cannot control. Growing up in situations where there was substance abuse, being the victim of physical or sexual assault can trigger

Based on the social disorganization theory; Shaw and McKay account for high crime begins with poverty, low socioeconomic status and the inability to “control the teenage population,” (Sampson, 2016). Shaw and McKay also knew that within the community, delinquency was a trait that was picked-up by and from other delinquents. Furthermore, if the ability to control young

Introduction The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world, this country is known to have the greatest number of people go to jail yearly than any other state shown in records. Chicago, Illinois is known to be the city that never sleeps, the city that encompasses the

Juvenile delinquency is of great concern in the United States. In 2007 over 2 million arrests were juveniles. There are two types of juvenile delinquency. The first type of offense is a behavior that would be a criminal violation for an adult. The other offense is called a “status” offense.

Such risk factors increase by how young the juvenile offender is during their violent offenses (Howell, et al., 2014). One group of experts on evidence-based juvenile justice systems argues that, despite the relatively small proportion of the juvenile justice population that serious violent cases account for, they should be a priority for systems when allocating meager funding (Howell, et al., 2014). Chronic violent offenders, though small in numbers, account for the majority of all violent offenses, as backed by two self-report studies. One study in Rochester revealed that, “the chronic violent offenders constituted only 15 percent of the total sample, yet self-reported having committed 75 percent of all of the violent offenses reported in the entire sample” (Howell, et al., 2014, page 13). Meanwhile, in a Denver study, the chronic violent offenders constituted only 14 percent of its total sample, yet self-reported having committed 82 percent of all of the violent offenses reported in the entire sample (Howell, et al., 2014).

By using this particular analysis method, the authors were able to demonstrate the importance of situational, time-varying factors as a means to explain delinquent behaviors. The results of the study, according to Gottfredson and Soule (2005) revealed that 7.8% reported drug use, 7.4% reported property crime, and 21.6% reported any crimes against persons. I found the rates a bit high for crimes against persons but this appears to be due in part to the fact that the threat to hit another student was included here. The study revealed that drug use and property crimes occurred more frequently on the weekends than any other time. Crimes against a person often occurred during and after school. How could this be? When broken down further, youth are confined to smaller spaces during school hours which often leads to additional peer pressures to fight. Property crimes were elevated prior to school, as well.

Determining risk factors is essential for establishing programs for youth to keep them from committing crimes that introduce them to the juvenile justice system. Additionally, successful programs can keep youth from re-entering the system for committing further offenses. Statistics show that there is a correlation between juvenile delinquency and the living conditions in which the youth are being raised (http://www.rikidscount.org). The Rhode Island Kids Count website, which provides independent, credible, comprehensive statistical information about Rhode Island's children, identify some risk factors for a youth’s involvement in the juvenile justice system to include cognitive impairments, learning disabilities, abuse or neglect, living in communities with high levels of violence, and having associations with other delinquent youth. (http://www.rikidscount.org). A teen’s social environment is very influential on their behaviors. This environment includes their school life with peers, their social life with friends, and their home life with their families. While parents are the first and arguably the most important influence on children, peers and friends play a large role as well. Substance abuse and lack of moral guidance have been shown to factor into youth displays of delinquent behaviors as well, according to the Criminology Resource Center at Regis University (2016). Children

Sexual assault is one of the fastest growing violent crimes in America. Approximately 20% of all people charged with a sexual offense are juveniles. Among adult sex offenders, almost 50% report that their first offense occurred during their adolescence. (FBI, 1993) There are many different opinions, treatment options and

The field of criminal justice has spent a great deal of time and energy trying to understand the reasons behind criminal behavior. Various theoretical representations explain the correlation between variables and consequences. Researchers have determined that there is no distinct course to delinquency and mention that the existence of numerous

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).

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.

Some environmental factors are a big factor in a juvenile delinquency. The abuse of a delinquent could cause a child to become delinquent. I wouldn’t say that it is always a factor. Being a victim myself I did not become a delinquent. It is possible that repeated abuse could eventually lead to one snapping and just becoming irrational, angry, and or depressed. Thus leading to the juvenile to retaliate. According to Les Picker of the National Bureau of Economic Research a child that is neglected and abused is a major social problem. (Picker, 2017). According to an article written by Lee Underwood, youth with mental illnesses are higher than the general population (Underwood & Washington, 2016). I believe that schools could be a huge factor in juvenile delinquency. The way a child is treated by faculty, peers, or other school members could cause him/her to rebel and act out. Eventually leading to delinquency.