The Effects Of Low Socioeconomic Status On Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency is an ever growing issue in the United States, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, “In 2012, there were 3,941 arrests for every 100,000 youths ages 10 through 17 in the United States” (OJJDP, 2014). The way juveniles are treated in the criminal justice system is very different than the way adults are. In 1899, in Cook County, Illinois, the first juvenile justice system in the country was founded. This established an alternative way of dealing with offenders whom are inherently different, in the way they think and commit crimes, than those of adult age. There are a few distinct differences between the juvenile and adult criminal system, but the biggest difference is the

Most people have preconceived notions regarding the relationship between social class and delinquency. A common assumption is that lower-class juveniles are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior than their higher-class counterparts. Criminologists have performed a large number of studies examining the socio-demographic characteristics of delinquents, which often yielded contradictory results. When analyzing the extent and trend of juvenile delinquency in the United States conclusions can be drawn from estimates derived from arrest records, self-reports, and victimization data. Arrest estimates, self-reported information, and victimization data provide different estimates of the extent of delinquency in the United States (Maxfield et

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

Seeking the answers for juvenile delinquency using the Social Disorganization Theory, "Testing Social Disorganization Theory For

Race, class, and gender contribute to youth delinquency by being factors that have been demonized because they may conflict with the social norms established by the majority in the US. Race has long been an issue because of the skin deep differences and cultural norms or stereotypes associated with people from various parts of the world and how they mesh with the norms in the United States. Racism has deep roots in American culture and as a result has been a means to punish people more harshly in the judicial system. In the film Juvies (2005), teens were interviewed about their experiences in formal detention and what factors led to their incarceration. African Americans and Hispanics were at a disadvantage when they faced sentencing and as a result were more likely to be transferred to adult prisons or have increased sentences attached to them. Cultural norms associated to what masculinity and resilience are, mean different things to different people. In Punished (2011), author Victor Rios writes about the punitive social controls that affect many young people who are marginalized and controlled punitively.

Juvenile Delinquency seems to always find itself on the front pages of newspapers. The juvenile delinquency rate is very high in America, today. According to Seigel and Welsh (2014) juvenile delinquency is defined as the participation in illegal behavior by a minor who falls under the statutory age limit (p. 648). The statutory age limit varies in different states. For example, a juvenile might be considered an adult in different state for various crimes. Statistics show that each year, juvenile commits about 9.8 percent of almost 12,000 homicides (Zagar, Grove, & Busch, 2013).

Four years now researcher in the fields of psychology sociology, genetics, and the juvenile justice system have contemplated the reason why some youth turn to delinquency and violence. To investigate the reasons, for some adolescents you would have to research on a case to case basis could fall into one category of multiple categories stemming, why they act the way they do and what cause these reactions. Some researchers may want to find reasons that is caused in the genetic line, it is the youth’s social atmosphere concerning in the youth has the right friends or any friends at all, or they could even to lead to arguments in the environment in which the child is raised.

The theory of social disorganization establishes that a person is not born delinquent but his environment influences the behavior of people. "The theory of social disorganization states a person's physical and social environments are primarily responsible for the behavioral choices that a person makes." (Bond, 2015). When I analyze this statement, I go back to my time in the neighborhood and start to remember how many young people who were my neighbors were corrupted by the atmosphere of our neighborhood. Which leads me to think because in my neighborhood although the environment was not very good, some went out being honest and studies, without ever having a problem with justice and others today are in jail.

According to a previous study by Cesare Beccaria he mentions that a child who has a lower IQ and traits may influence the like hood for people to grow up and commit crime. I agree with this previous study;

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

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. Status offenses are delinquent actions that do not apply to adults, like running away and truancy. This paper will discuss the impact of gender and family on delinquency and the treatment by gender in the juvenile justice system.

People who demonstrate a higher cognitive ability (higher IQ’s) have been shown to perform well academically and are able to achieve. A teenager, or even adult, with low IQ who does not perform well in school can be subject to peer pressure, which can lead to delinquent behavior. In turn, youths who demonstrate delinquent and anti-social behavior at an early age have difficulty forming social attachments, resulting in lower self-control. As we have studied previously, low self-control is but one means of predicting crime.

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.