The Psychological Theories Of Crime

The relevant legislation that has been implemented, (Children (Criminal Proceedings) Act 1987), has addressed issues that young people face. However, rights for young people still need to be addressed. Doli Incapax, The Children’s Court and Legal are measures taken to protect young offenders in regards to the criminal justice system. Ensuring that the child’s rights are protected there have been legislations passed to guarantee the enforceability of this alternative methods. Young people are treated differently to adults in the criminal justice system for three major reasons. They are; they prevent children and young people from being exploited, protect them from making uniformed decisions and protect others from being disadvantaged by dealing with a person that is a

(P1)The biological approach means that our behavior is the cause of biological factors. This approach looks at our genetics to construct a reason why we act the way we do and why we develop abnormal behaviors. The brain and nervous system are the biological approach and so are chemical changes in the body .This can mean chemical reactions in the brain. For instance, in eating disorders - twin studies were carried out and it was shown that if one identical twin suffered from an eating disorder then the other twin would also be more likely to suffer from a disorder as well. This did not happen with non-identical twins, suggesting that the

The Youth Justice System uses rehabilitative justice when dealing with youth. This method is proven to be effective. If we compare this way of justice to United States (which uses retributive justice) we will see a difference in crime rates and notice that United States has a higher rate of people prisoned than Canada. This affects citizens of United States of quality of life since they have to pay more taxes to keep those people in jail. In Canada our quality of life is affected by this, because we have less people in prisons which means we have more people in society that our sharing the load of taxes. The Youth Justice System subjects the offender to just and meaningful consequences that will affect the young offender in positive way. Instead of just locking up the offender or using harsh punishments, it uses methods such as restitution, community service, counselling (social and mental health workers) to deal with the

This essay will outline how crime theories are able to assist in recognizing the causes of criminal activity, as well as demonstrating two criminological theories to two particular crimes. Overviews of trends, dimensions and victim/offenders characteristics of both crime groups will be specified. The two particular crimes that will be demonstrated throughout this essay are; Violent Crime (focusing on Assault) being linked with social learning theory and White Collar crime (focusing on terrorism) being linked to General Strain theory. In criminology, determining the motive of why people commit crimes is crucial. Over the years, many theories have been developed and they continue to be studied as criminologists pursue the best answers in eventually diminishing certain types of crime including assaults and terrorism, which will be focused on.

The Juvenile Delinquents Act brought some positive impacts on many young people who went through the juvenile justice system. However, many flaws appeared in this Act after a period of time. "Under the JDA, there were a number of differences in provincial prohibitions, variations in maximum age limits, and a wide range of financial commitment" (Covell & Howe, 1996, p.346). The juvenile offender under this law, which built a level of discretionary regime, had few rights with regards to the welfare. In addition, according to Makarenko, there was another limit of this act – the law did not charge against children by defining different circumstances, instead, it charged children with delinquency. The law offered judges with a great deal of rights in sentencing juvenile delinquents (2007, p.2).

Youth crime is a tough issue, with many differing opinions. Punishment and rehabilitation, one, the other, or both, all topics of debate within society. If you were to discuss the issues with the parents of a victim, it would be understandable that their opinions would differ greatly than those of the parents of the offender. Many people have formed an opinion without an in depth look at the act. Others simply do not care.

The overwhelming majority of juveniles are involved in impulsive or risky, even delinquent behaviors during their teenage years. However, the majority go on to become very productive citizens who do not commit crimes. In order for this to continue the government established the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) which gives young offenders a chance to better themselves, and. By doing so, the YCJA helps teach youth that their actions are unacceptable and the punishments imposed are lesser then an adult. Through the analysis of their unacceptable actions, lesser punishments and a better future, it is clear that YCJA is highly effective at giving youth a better chance in society.

In the same fashion that a gardener does not deem some flowers worthy of their attention, the YCJA does not aim for inequitably. In fact, the Youth Criminal Justice Act is an exceptionally fair and equitable system. Each and every case brought to the YCJA is analyzed individually. As a matter of fact, the judge even takes the time to examine every youth offender’s circumstances. For instance, a homeless child stealing from a store could be punished differently than a wealthy child stealing from the

A lot of Canadian youth face issues such as living in poverty, living in violent neighbourhoods and sometimes that leads to them becoming young offenders. In order to help these youth become positive contributing parts of Canadian society the impact that the Youth Criminal Justice Act and the Safe Streets and Communities Act has had on them must be studied. Therefore this essay will address the questions of whether the purpose of the legislation we have to deal with youth offenders is to rehabilitate youth or punish them, and whether or not the method being used by the Canadian government is effective in allowing young offenders to create and lead a stable life after being released from jail. This paper will argue that the main goal of the

Referring to aspects from Goldson and Muncie’s (2006) article on “a youth justice with integrity” (pp. 99-102), the essay will argue that section 38 of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) should incorporate a risk-needs responsivity model (RNR) to the sentencing structure. Moreover, this addition should replace the 2012 amendments of section 38, which incorporated deterrence and denunciation into sentencing practices (s. 38(2)(f)). This amendment has the potential to increase recidivism rates, as it does not properly address the special needs that some youth’s may have. In relation, section 38 exemplifies the proportionality of the punishment (s. 38(2)(c)), which could be potentially affected

The education and training should take place during the incarceration period. Upon release the offender shall receive housing if need be, a place of employment, and a probation officer who can track their progress and offer any assistance if necessary. It should be a required term of probation or release as well as a mandated class in the prisons. It would have ideally be implemented by the government but can be done on a system to system basis. It can be run by both hired and volunteered help to decrease costs. This program should also be geared toward those who are at a mid to high risk of reoffending. To be sure it is effective it should be between 100 to 150 hours of work for those at a moderate risk of reoffending and at least 200 hours for those at a high risk (Latessa 31).

The United States leads the world in the incarceration of young people, there are over 100,000 youth placed in jail each year. Locking up youth has shown very little positive impact on reducing crime. Incarcerating youth have posed greater problems such as expenses, limited education, lack of employment, and effect on juveniles’ mental and physical well-being.

(http://www.justice.qld.gov.au/youth-justice) However it is obvious that the Youth Justice System is flawed but has many strengths and

With the escalating seriousness and devastation being caused by young criminals, the Queensland Jurisdiction amended the Youth Justice Act 1992, on 11 February 2014, in an attempt to control and reduce young people offending and achieve improved outcomes for young offenders and their families. However, the reforms are argumentative with stakeholders believing that the amendments breach the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. This report will evaluate Queensland’s criminal justice system’s ability to effectively balance the rights of juvenile offenders with the society’s need for order, as well as examine different stakeholder perspectives and make justified recommendations about legal issues and their outcomes.

The public is often bombarded by the media about crimes committed by adolescents, but could the law itself improve their method of dealing with the youth of society? The current legislation, the Youth Justice Act, 1992, provides ‘fair and balanced’ laws that are somewhat affective in disciplining and protecting children that have relations with the youth justice system. The judicial system ensures that children be punished for their crimes and that the court is also made certain that the child has the same rights as an adult. Although they are sentenced fairly, imprisonment seems to have a lesser effect on the offender than community service. The judges are also likely to prioritise helping and rehabilitating the accused, not just punishing them (Bowen, 1994, p117).