Composition & Essay Writing [ 19 ]

Composition & Essay Writing [ 19 ]

 

 

12-] Juvenile Delinquency .

Juvenile delinquency refers to criminal acts performed by juveniles . There are a multitude of different theories on the causes of crime , most of not all of which can be applied to the causes of youth crime . Crime committed by young people has risen since the mid-twentieth century as have most types of   crime . A juvenile delinquent is one who repeatedly commits crime . From the theories on juvenile delinquency are rational choice theory , social disorganization theory , strain theory ,    sub-cultural theory ,differential association theory and labelling theory .

                      The rational choice theory approach complies with what classical criminology stresses that causes of crime lie    within the individual offenders rather than in their external environment .For classicists offenders are motivated by rational self-interest and the importance of free will and personal responsibility is emphasized .

                      The social disorganization theory focuses on the culture which produces the breakdown of family relationships and community competing values and increasing individualism. While the strain theory holds that crime is caused by the  difficulty those in poverty have in achieving socially valued    goals by legitimate means . As those with for instance poor educational attainment have difficulty achieving wealth and status by securing well paid employment , they are more likely    to use criminal means to obtain these goals . However , strain theory fails to explain violent crime the type of youth crime  which causes most anxiety to the public . More importantly is    the fact that much youth crime does not have an economic motivation .

                         The subcultural theory is related to strain theory . The inability of youths to achieve socially valued status and goals results in groups of young people forming deviant or delinquent subcultures which have their own values and norms .The notion of subcultures is relevant for crimes that are not economically motivated .

                        The differential association theory suggests young people are motivated to commit crimes by delinquent peers and learn criminal skills from them . But the labelling theory states that once young people have been labelled as criminal they are more likely to offend . The idea is that once labelled as deviant , a young person may accept that role and be more likely to   associate with others who have been similarly labelled .

                        No theory can determine all the causes of juvenile delinquency as the human psyche is complicated , but each one may contribute to shedding light partially .Once the juvenile offender reaches maturation he or she is likely to continue exhibiting maladaptive behaviors and increases his or her risk    of being cycled through the criminal justice system as an adult offender .

                        Delinquency prevention is the broad term for all efforts aiming at preventing youth from becoming involved in criminal or other antisocial activity .Prevention services include activities such as substance , abuse education and treatment , family counseling , youth mentoring , parenting education , educational support and youth sheltering . Organizations , communities , governments and every individual in society must work more in collaboration with each other to prevent juvenile delinquency .