Causes of Juvenile Delinquency
Criminology Research Paper
lack of social support in the home environment is the primary cause of juveniles' involvement in violent crime
Analysis on the Real Causes of Juvenile Homicide
juvenile delinquency remains a serious concern for state and federal administrators in the U.S. Despite taking a plunge from their peak level in 1994, the rates of juvenile involvement in crime are still relatively high. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, juveniles between the ages of 10 and 17 accounted for 8% of all homicides committed in the country in 2010, with an arrest rate of 225 for every 100,000 youth. These statistics have spurred researchers' interest in trying to find out exactly what causes juveniles to commit crime, particularly violent crime. Statistics from the Census Bureau indicate that most crimes perpetrated by juvenile offenders are committed between 3 p.m and 7 p.m. This can rightly be interpreted as the period between when a child leaves school, and when most parents return home from work. Evidently, most juvenile crimes occur in an out-of-school environment, when the child is primarily under the care of their parents, most of whom are often too busy to even take time to observe their children's social patterns or tend to their psychological needs....
(Johnson, 2008, pp. 560 -- 567) This is significant, because it is corroborating the root causes of why someone will become involved in illegal activities at a young age. As a result, this source is providing us with a good rational for studying this issue and the long-term effects that it will have on communities. The Importance of this Topic in Studying Criminal Behavior Understanding juvenile delinquency will help to improve
Once a group gains the trust of neighborhood gangs and manages to encourage some positive community activities, the group should then seek support from area businesses and organizations to encourage such behavior. Teenagers often become involved with gangs because they want structure and security. Lacking such qualities at home, teenagers find such qualities within gangs, which have strong, defined hierarchies, specific rules and clearly defined behavior expectations. It no surprise
Studies indicate that "... A higher than average incidence of delinquency occurs among youngsters of the poorest social standing and with the lowest performance at school..." (Jarvelin et al., 1994, p. 230) Similarly, studies also note that neighborhood influences on development was determinant on factors such as "...collective socialization, peer-group influence, and institutional capacity." (Sampson, Morenoff & Gannon-Rowley, 2002. p 443) Generally studies like the above present a negative picture of
Economic conditions that have forced both parents to work and have caused teenaged unemployment have also been associated with delinquency, as children are not only unsupervised, but also unoccupied. In addition to this, children who face undue hardships, such as physical and sexual abuse, as well as failure to perform academically, also often turn to delinquency (Roberts, 2005). Like Kim and Kim (2008) point out for South Korean children,
Moreover, if an adolescent who has reached 18 commits sexual offending is considered an adult sex offender, "what does this mean for young adults who engaged in sexually abusive behavior prior to age 18?" (p. 433). Because of this blurry line, Rich suggests, it is imperative that adolescents of older age must especially be provided with comprehensive treatment programs to prevent them from developing fixed sexualized abusive interests. Because of
Juvenile delinquency seems to be growing in this country; at least the media's handling of it seems to be increasing. This paper will provide research into violence in the various forms of media and how it affects juvenile delinquency. Studies indicate violence in the media can contribute to violence in young people. They also indicate that there are many instances of violence in the media every day. Another issue facing
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now