Travis Hirsch's Research

“Any form of delinquent behavior is 7.6% points lower among boys living with their biological fathers and is 8.5% points lower among boys who live with stepfathers and have no relationship with their biological fathers” (Cobb-Clark and Tekin, 2013). When it comes to adolescent girls, Cobb-Clark and Tekin (2013) found that if they live with their biological father, they are less likely to be involved in violent behavior, sell drugs and be involved in gangs than adolescent girls without fathers (Cobb-Clark and Tekin, 2013). This is about a 3.6%-point difference between girls with fathers and girls without fathers (Cobb-Clark and Tekin, 2013). In East et al. (2006) research for adolescent girls, it found that if the father left a girl’s life when she was five years old or younger, that child’s rate of teen pregnancy was increased compared to children whose father was absent between the ages of five and thirteen and those whose father was not absent. When adolescent boys were compared to adolescent girls, research done by Cobb-Clark and Tekin ( 2013) showed that adolescent boys engaged in more delinquent behavior than adolescent girls when there is no father figure present. This can carry on into the child’s adult life as

Topic Sentence: The most predominant reason Johnny is innocent is he killed Bob out of self-defense because he was scared that Bob would hurt him.

The fourth category, condemnation of the condemners, is a type of neutralization often seen in politics. It justifies the acting party’s actions

“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.

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.

In addition, the second and the third technique Sykes and Matza discuss is the denial of injury and the denial of the victim. Denial of injury is the idea that people who commit delinquent behaviors do not injure anyone and therefore believes they should not be punished. On the other hand, denial of the victim is putting the blame on the victim rather than offender. An example from the song that supports these techniques is when the man continues to walk down the street and a man creeps up behind him and puts a gun to his head. The man that crept up to him says “give me all you got, I want your money, not your life.” Therefore, the reason I chose this verse was because if the man successfully committed the act, he might have thought to himself “why should I feel guilty if I did not harm anyone?” For instance, if he would have been a heartless man he would have just shot him since he was walking alone and not tell him he wanted his money and not his life. Furthermore, the fourth and the fifth technique Sykes and Matza analyze is the condemnation of the condemners and the appeal to higher loyalties. In the condemnation of the condemner’s technique, offenders believe it is okay to break the law because those running societies are corrupt. On the other hand, the appeal to higher loyalties technique is when offenders deflect blame for criminal behavior by claiming loyalty to a perceived higher goal. These two techniques can be combined using the example when the

The Little Brother screamed to be released from the care. Once the Teenage Son was aware of the brother being in the car he (1a) acted to keep boy in the car for several miles, (1b) this action by the Teenage Son directly kept the Little Brother in the confinement of the moving vehicle before releasing him, and (1c) the little brother wanted to be out of the vehicle. The elements for false imprisonment have been met.

The client’s younger sister recently had an accident where she almost fell through thin ice while skating with her brother and cousin. She told her parents that Henry pushed her towards the thin ice and was laughing as the ice began to crack. As the parents questioned their son about the incident, Mark, came forward and explained that Henry had been doing things that he should not be doing. Mark accused Henry of torturing and killing a neighborhood dog, throwing a stuffed dummy off of an overpass and causing an accident, plotting to kill his younger sister, and had even threatened him if he told on Henry. The client’s mother at first did not believe that her son could at all be capable of such things and had dismissed the incidents as sibling rivalry.

A child’s chanced of becoming delinquent are minimized when they receive positive regard from their parents, this includes attachment, care and respect. “It is when parents are indifferent, ignorant or spend less time with their children that the latter begin to associate themselves more to unruly elements and at times get themselves involved in crimes” (Nair, 2006). The absence of a father in a household or family structure has detrimental effects on the child and leads to delinquency. Children of alcoholics had a higher prevalence of becoming juvenile delinquents as well as having conduct disorder and issues with alcohol abuse

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

The teenager’s friend had been killed a week before the murder. The friend had been hit by the man while he was driving drunk. The teen wanted revenge on this man because of what he had done. She claims “My friend was innocent, and she did not deserve to be killed. It made me furious, I had to take my revenge.”

Girls who grew up in stepfamilies were involved in more delinquent behavior compared to girls who lived in in-tact homes. For boys, living in a single parent family greatly increases the chance of delinquent behavior while living in a stepfamily does not. The test also showed that a good relationship with the mom and dad helped lower delinquent activities in girls. For boys, having a good relationship with their dad and lower conflict in the family helped lower delinquent activity.

Many people try to point the finger to way children become delinquent, blaming their parents, their poverty, their friends and/or the system; sometime things are not that simple. Some rich children who have it all still make the same poor choices and end up on the wrong side of the law. Most poor children who have nothing, still grow up good and do wonderful things. Many families have that one

Children need to have a role model in their presence to advocate educational activities, community involvement, and avoiding contact with the law for bad behavior. As Baker states, “Delinquents are made, not born” (1991, Pg. 274). Possible noncriminal behaviors that may affect a juvenile to become delinquent include; child neglect and/ or abuse, termination of parental rights, foster home placements, those beyond parental control, interfamily assault and other criminal acts (Baker, 1991, Pg. 275). Parents must learn to teach family conflict intervention, management problems, favorable parental attitudes and involvement in problem behaviors. At an early age we learn to do what it thought, showed, and have the adult figure set the example in our lives. For example, helping with academic failure, avoid delinquent criminal peers, and guide away from drug use and crime. Adolescent problem behaviors start with the parents, then move into the community, and society must respond by providing alternative programs and institutions to help the problem.

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.