The Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency

Reading this book has had an effect on the way I see Juvenile delinquency and the Juvenile Justice System. The reason for this is because I now realize that these young individuals just do not become delinquent overnight and majority of the time it is not their fault that they are the way they are. It can be several factors that cause them to engage in criminal acts similar to the boys and girls in Giddings State School. This book may be very uncomfortable to read because of some of the disturbing events that these young individual experienced, but I would definitely recommend others to read it. Parents that are currently struggling with their teenage child should definitely read the book. I feel like the book may have solutions to their problems.

Over 1/3 of the 11,000 index crime arrests were juveniles under the age of 16.

Violence in any form can have a lasting effect on a person. Children who witness violence are permanently scarred because of what they are seeing. Children who witness family or domestic violence are affected in ways similar to children who are physically abused. Children are often unable to establish nurturing bonds with either parent and are at a greater risk for abuse and neglect if he or she lives in a violent home. Statistics show that an estimated 3.3 million children are exposed to violence against their mothers or female caretakers by family members in their home each year (Ackerman & Pickering, 1989). When a spouse, woman or male is abused, and there are

Juvenile Delinquency is the participation of illegal behavior by a minor who falls under a statutory age limit. A delinquent is a minor who commits a crime or a status offense. A status offense is conduct that is illegal only because the child is under age i.e. smoking cigarettes (Senna 10, 20). The cases of Eric Smith, Lionel Tate, and an unidentified NJ child are similar only because, they are guilty of killing another child, but the Criminal Justice System treated and punished them very differently. In August 1993 in Savona, New York 13 year old Eric Smith killed 4 year old Derrick Robie. Smith lured Robie into the woods and strangled, beat with large rocks, and sodomized Robie. Smith was questioned by police and kept changing some

Juvenile delinquency has become a controversial issue within the Criminal Justice system. In the United States, juvenile delinquency refers to disruptive and criminal behavior committed by an individual under the age of 18. In many states, a minor at the age of 16 to 17 ½ can be tried as an adult. Once the individual reaches adulthood, the disruptive and criminal behavior is recognized as a crime. However, the criminal justice system has divided juvenile delinquency into two general types of categories that has brought upon controversial issues of inequality and corruption. Yet, putting young individuals in juvenile detentions facilities seems to open the door for them to commit more crimes in the future. Therefore, under certain circumstances juveniles should be tried as an adult.

When a juvenile faces the court system in the United States it is much different than when an adult faces the court system. The main concern for a juvenile is not to get the punishment they may deserve but rather the court system focuses on treatment. They do this by using rehabilitation as a major tool, not to try and get them healthy per say, but rather to create better choices for the juvenile in the future. This includes the court system looking into the juvenile’s past history along with a psychological approach in order to meet his or her needs. The juvenile then faces a hearing which involves looking into not only the juvenile’s history, but also social needs in order to better accommodate them for their “healing” process. On the other

It seems like the younger the child is they will exhibit a higher level of emotional and psychological distress then what an older child will. People who commit domestic violence against one another with a child or children present never think of the outcome and how it will affect the child or children. If these children continue to see all of this domestic violence especially if it is a young boy, they may result in continuing this same behavior throughout childhood.

Juvenile Justice has been a work in progress from the beginning of the program because of the evolving mentality of the generations. The purpose of Juvenile Justice was to correct the behavior of the juvenile delinquents and rehabilitation through a probationary period monitored by an individual who paid for bail and periodically reported behavior changes to courts. (Mulligan 2009) We do justice to the youth offenders by understanding the history of Juvenile Justice restorative programs, the alternatives to incarceration, and how to help them amend their actions and behavior.

About 200,000 Men go to prison every year. One in three Black/ African American Men will be incarcerated. One in seventeen White, and one in six Latino. However five percent are innocent. About 20,000 men are in jail on a false conviction. Being proven not guilty can still however hurt chances of finding decent jobs once released from such punishment. My personal belief is all felons deserve second chances regardless of conviction. Yes, we can argue many places do hire felons regardless of their record. However, a minimum wage job doesn't cover much. For example, John Doe was convicted of sexual offenses at the age of 18 while having sexual relations with a 16 year old high school student. Only two years separated them, however being that mr. Doe is considered an adult, he was sentenced to five years in prison, because of believed racial discrimination hate the young girl's father had towards Mr. Doe. In texas alone, there has already been over 80,000 convicted sex offenders up until the month of April. Not even half way into the 2015 year. Did all those people actually commit assault, or could it by chance be another case of “turn up” going too far?

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.

Juvenile repeat offenders receive little to no punishment for the crimes that they commit. The disposition that juvenile repeat offenders receive in some states at the highest are community service, detention centers, or probation. What makes a juvenile crime is status offenses. A juvenile status offense consist of crimes that would not under law be considered as crimes by an adult but crimes by juvenile youths. Status offenses consist of truancy, running away, violating curfew, underage possession of alcohol, and tobacco. The problem with the juvenile justice system is the fact that they receive little to no punishment for the crimes they commit. The reason for this being is because by law being a minor the activity they are committing is not a crime.

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

Definitions of juvenile delinquency vary everywhere you go in the world. The laws change from country to country and even from state to state. The United States Justice Department defines a juvenile as “a person who has not attained his eighteenth birthday”, and juvenile delinquency “as the violation of a law of the United States committed by a person prior to his eighteenth birthday, which would have been a crime if committed by an adult” (Office). The Justice Department also says, “A person over eighteen but under twenty-one years of age is also accorded juvenile treatment if the act of juvenile delinquency occurred prior to his eighteenth birthday” (Office). Many states have lowered the age of a juvenile to seventeen. The way a juvenile has been treated over the years has changed drastically.

This assignment will illustrate that by understanding the fundamentals of combatting juvenile delinquency and applying the theories to command practice will enhance the overall knowledge of the material. This document will demonstrate the juvenile delinquency reduction efforts and programs currently in operation in the Tampa area community. In addition, I will propose ways to improve the Tampa area community’s juvenile delinquency prevention efforts. Next, this paper will attempt to apply the main sociological theories that underlie these interventions that shape the community’s public policy for delinquency prevention. Finally, this paper will identify an appropriate strategy geared toward preventing delinquency that in consistent with the Behavioral theory.

A traumatic childhood may predispose a child to violence against themselves or against others, in adolescence or adulthood. This information is and has been off the records, but so far no known relationship between the magnitude of traumatic experiences and different forms of violence at puberty. A study published in Pediatrics, which involved 136,549 U.S. students between 12 and 17 has been commissioned to evaluate this relationship. The researchers sought to determine six adverse experiences for which they had passed the boys in childhood and physical and sexual abuse, witnessing abuse or problems at home by alcohol or drugs taken by a relative. Then he saw the violent behavior at puberty: crime, harassment, bullying, dating violence,