Juvenile Delinquency College Essays Samples For Students

[Institution Title]

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This paper entitled “Florida: Addressing the Juvenile Delinquency through Crime Prevention Policies” is aimed at determining the appropriateness of the existing policy of the State of Florida relating to the prevention of the growing rate in juvenile delinquency arrests. Needless to say, despite the significant decrease in the number of juvenile arrests in Florida, it continuous to be the highest in the United States . Legislative and historical records show that the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice used to apply the rehabilitative model of justice system. Nevertheless, it has been proven ineffective. Over the years, the State of ...

The modern societies in all countries are nowadays experiencing a set of challenges, tracing their origin from the ruining of social stability in principle, slackening of social bonds between different members of social communities, the growth of maturity age among youngsters etc. These and other internal and external factors foster unexpected changes in the behavior of different members of the social communities, for instance, emergence of unpredictable social groups guided by some extraordinary and insecure purposes (Schoenfeld).
As far the juvenile layer of social community is concerned, it proves to be a group mostly endangered by the ongoing social ...

Juvenile delinquency consists of criminal behavior by individuals under the age of eighteen. A risk factor is any influence or characteristic that increases the probability of criminal behavior. Risk factors can be used to forecast future behavior. Several risk factors increase the risk of children to engage in delinquency and possessing certain factors may increase chance of becoming delinquent. Risk factors may increase the probability that a juvenile will engage in delinquent behavior but it does not make delinquency a certainty. The greater number of risk factors existing in a juvenile’s life, the greater the amount of crime ...

Application of Juvenile Delinquency Concepts

Introduction
The juvenile is a person who has not reached his or her eighteenth years of age and delinquency is the violation of law. Hence, the term “juvenile delinquency” refers to the violation of the law done by a minor that would be considered a crime if would have been done by an adult who have reached the age of eighteen or passed this age (Office of the United States of Attorney, n.d).

Summary of key aspects

The story of Barry Dale Loukaitis has been selected for examination. The key aspects of the story are that it shows the impact of wrong beliefs ...

Juvenile delinquency is caused by the general rules of crime and has its own characteristics. They are mainly associated with age-related, psychological, and other individual differences of juvenile offenders and the mechanism of criminal behavior, and a manifestation of the influence of circumstances, the dynamics, the structure of their crime, demographic, and many other factors that relate to various socio - economic, moral and psychological spheres. Youth crime is a dangerous negative phenomenon. It is part of organized crime. In this case, it is a risk, in particular, it is the mode of existence of the youth criminal environment. ...

Juvenile delinquency is concerned with criminal behavior by individuals regarded by law as minors. In recent times, the United States has witnessed higher levels of delinquent behavior by its youth, prompting criminologists to probe its causes and effects. In the United States, juvenile delinquency is caused by rational choice, differential association, strain theory, social disorganization and labeling, and leads to problems such as teenage pregnancies, school dropouts and ill-health.
There are several documented theoretical causes of criminal behavior in juveniles. One of these is rational choice, which asserts that delinquent behavior among youngsters emanates from the offender, as ...

Abstract

Juvenile delinquency is one of the most pressing issues that any society can face. There are certain risk and protective factors that influence children's disposition toward criminal behavior. These factors can be grouped into community, individual, and social categories. Each of these three categories contain certain risks that can contribute to a child's tendency to engage in delinquent activities. Schools, families, and other communities have a responsibility to try and protect the youngest and most vulnerable members of our society from being exposed to these factors. By doing so, we can address the problem at its root and curb ...

Community Resource Analysis for Juvenile Offenders

I. Scope of the issue

The selected community

The community of focus is spans across the United States. The population of focus within the community is juvenile offenders. This constitutes of youths below the age of 18 handled by the juvenile justice system. Within communities, behaviors of the youths are shaped by the social interactions and cultural norms presented therein. Senior members of the society play an important role of displaying desirable behaviors for the youth to emulate in addition to monitoring activities within the community. Most delinquencies within the population of focus, juvenile offenders, are accounted for by young males.

Population and Existing resources

Target ...

Social disorganization theory explains the prevalence of juvenile delinquency in many areas. This theory relates how societal norms and structure influence the rate of delinquency in the society. Lack of structure in society influences poverty levels, economy of the society, education, residential turn-over and family stability (Bartollas, 1985, p. 81). This theory’ proponents argue that factors that shape local communities like immigration, politics, housing and others, influence the structure of the society, which in-turn influences other factors like crime prevalence. Sociological theories influence how policies are structured.
Many policies are made in consultation with or in response to ...

Community policing may be defined, according to Leighton (1991), as a type of approach that involves the philosophy, organization and operations in urban policing. This approach gives premium to police-community partnership and solving problems. It takes a holistic approach in policing by establishing patterns manifested by the nature of criminality in a given locality (Grossman and Roberts p. 141). For example, if burglary is prevalent in a certain part of the city, the police look at the conditions of the area that makes it susceptible to the crime. A solution to this problem may include strategies, such as ‘target hardening,’ or making the ...

Given the various sources of data on juvenile delinquency, and the means by which these statistics are collected and recorded, there is reason to believe that these statistics and sources do not provide an accurate picture of the type and frequency of delinquent behavior present in the youth population. The Uniform Crime Report, for example, which is an aggregate of data from all law enforcement agencies throughout the nation, have many questioning its accuracy. According to research, fewer than half of all victims of crimes, whether property or violence related, actually report the incidents to the police. This is ...

Organization and Structure

The organization and structure are good on a basic level. The introduction advises the reader what the causes of juvenile delinquency are. Each section of the paper then has a heading that correlates with the four causes of juvenile delinquency, which makes sense. The thesis seems to be factual, not an opinion. The paper then goes on to support the facts stated in the thesis statement. The thesis statement is actually in two sentences. The two sentences could be combined into one sentence to make it easier for readers to follow.
Thesis: The causes of juvenile delinquency can be summarized ...

Juvenile delinquency refers to the antisocial or abnormal legal behavior by minors or adolescents, for dealing with juveniles, such as juvenile detention centers. A delinquent is an individual who often commits crime. Juvenile delinquency is a legal term, which if translated and applied to adults, would be deemed as a criminal offence (Bartollas & Schmalleger, 2010, p 17). In the United States, age limits and definitions of minors differ from state to state. Almost all states have put their age limits to the juvenile offender. Some states have put the age limit to a maximum of 21 years while others have it as low ...

Juvenile Delinquency Reduction Efforts

Two of the most renowned juvenile delinquency reduction programs in the writer’s society include Adolescent Diversion Project and Aggression Replacement Training (ART). Adolescent Diversion Project aims to motivate criminals belonging to minor age category to adopt civilized and gentle behaviors. Such criminals are given special training in jails after they have committed a crime in which they are taught and made aware of the value of being socially responsible (National Institute of Justice, 2016).
On the other hand, ART is mainly directed to prevent minors from aggressions through psychological training into different dimensions. They build social skills through ...

The Best Method for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile crimes are some of the main challenges that face many justice systems across the globe. Sometimes courts find it hard to find a clear definition of juvenile offenders and how to deal with their criminality. Traditionally, punishment and rehabilitation approaches were being used to prevent juvenile delinquency (Dammer & Albanese, 2013). However, the two methods have proved to be ineffective, and now new prevention strategies are being used to prevent juvenile crimes, which are now common. Some of the methods that are currently being used include community service, home curfew, counseling, and mediation. Nevertheless, according to my view, counseling ...

Abstract

The causal factors of a crime have always been a matter of deliberation and debate. The question of juvenile delinquency has raised more debates, given the seriousness of the matter. Recognition of the causal factors will help stem the problem of juvenile delinquency before it becomes chronic.
They emphasize on the social environment of a juvenile as a major cause for his/her delinquent behavior. The empirical research conducted by them points to disadvantageous economic position and geographical location as the contributing factors to the delinquent behavior of the juveniles.
Shaw and McKay build on the theory proposed by Ernest ...

Introduction

Juvenile court system is a parallel criminal system provided for juvenile delinquents. Criminal justice system realized that juvenile offenders have special needs as compared to adult criminals in that they are young, and have great future to pursue; therefore, the main objective of the juvenile justice system is to rehabilitate them. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) asserts that, the objective of the juvenile justice system is to “encourage a process of behavioral change by helping the child or young person to feel accountable for his or her actions and understand their impact on others, and foster integration ...

Juvenile Delinquency Week 1

Juvenile delinquency refers to the youth participation in criminal activities. Young people get drawn into doing unlawful things due to various reasons like peer pressure and poverty. Several criminologists suggest that criminal activities by youth are dependent on race, gender, and background or social class. There is some credibility to these claims if the relationship of each factor to youth crimes is analyzed.

Gender affects juvenile crimes in that, in most cases, the female youth are less likely to be involved in crime than male ones. A very small percentage of girls get involved in serious crimes. On the ...

The rational choice theory states that any behavior that a human has is as a matter of choice (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). In fact, anybody has an option to choose the kind of behavior he or she would like, depending on the needs they have. Therefore, criminal behavior is also a choice that one makes consciously. A person chooses to go against the law after careful consideration of the potential benefits that they would get out of it. One will avoid breaking the law if the potential benefits are outweighed by the dangers associated.

Controlling Juvenile Delinquency

When applying the rational choice theory, ...

In Gridiron Gang, the character of Willie Weathery had many factors that could explain why he became delinquent. Family disruption, peers, gang membership, peer pressure, strain, community disorganization, social learning, low self-control and labeling are all theories and causes used to explain delinquent behavior and are all reasons why Willie Weathery engage in the delinquent act that landed him in juvenile detention. There is no single cause of delinquency. Many factors that combine to motivate a juvenile to engage in delinquent behavior.

FAMILY DISRUPTION

In the movie, Willie Weathery appears to live with his mother and younger brother. At no time ...

Juvenile delinquents should not be treated like adult offenders due to various reasons. The juvenile delinquent is young at maybe 14 years, and their level of maturity, experience, and decision-making cannot be compared to that of a 24-year-old. The delinquents often act as a result of peer pressure or other mischievous reasons that young people get involved in immorally. An adult has the maturity and decision-making knowledge to avoid engaging in irresponsible activities (Shoemaker, 2009).
The other reason is that the delinquents are still young and have room for improvement if raised and corrected. Many delinquents have grown up ...

Among the principal reasons that contributed to juvenile delinquency being a serious problem in the United States are the following: problems at school, involvement in gang groups with dubious reputation, issues with mental health, problems in family, matter emanating from sexual activity, and, finally, use and sale of drugs (Bartollas, Schmalleger, 2013, 6). It must be noted, before everything else, that virtually all of these reasons are tightly interconnected. For instance, problems in family nowadays tend to be a very widespread issue in the United States. The inter-generational gap contributes to kids’ being too reckless and less attached to ...

In the recent years, there have been surging numbers of high-profile cases involving adolescent who commit violent crimes. This drastic rising of violent crimes involving children has attracted public attention. Nevertheless, it is clear that over the years there have been an upward trend in juvenile cases as argued by Espiritu et al. (2003). Indeed, through in-depth observation, it is worth understanding that juvenile delinquency is creasing especially among young offenders of between seven and eight years. Furthermore, it is observed that children of less than 13 years are frequently being arrested for juvenile offenses. The recent statistics in ...

[Professor]

I. Introduction
There several reasons why one would want to prevent juveniles from being delinquents or from pursuing actions that would lead them to continue to delve into delinquent behavior. One of the most obtrusive reasons for doing such is that delinquency holds the youth at risk. These risks are for school drop outs, drug use and dependency, further injury, incarceration, adult criminality and early pregnancy (Greenwood, 186). Protecting the youth from such delinquent acts saves them from wasting their lives. Of course, many other reasons arise as well. As Greenwood (186), narrates, most of the adult ...

Project Title

Introduction
Juvenile Justice System is a system established to handle and tackle juvenile delinquency. The system comprises of several juvenile courts across the United States, which are bestowed with the responsibility of juvenile delinquency. The system works on the fundamental principal of deterring juveniles from crimes through reforming them. Adult juvenile system is a system established to tackle and handle cases of adult criminals. The adult justice system has mechanisms that guarantee adults are punished for crimes committed. Juvenile and adult justice systems have several similarities in terms of their rights and responsibilities. However, it is also apparent that the ...

Discuss the difference between a juvenile who is considered a status offender and one who is considered delinquent. Provide at least two examples for each in your discussion.
A juvenile status offender has basically committed illegal acts, or found to have illegal behaviour as a minor; people who have not passed the age-of-majority (usually 18, in most places or states). These acts do not necessarily equate to a criminal act when done by an adult. Examples of such acts would be sexual behaviour which refers to having sexual relationships with either adults or minors alike, and alcoholism. Juvenile delinquency, ...

There are two forms of controlling behavior that members of a society are expected to display. The norms of society are the informal form while the laws of society are the formal form (Licht, 2008). Crime is an action that is a breach of the laws of society and may involve harm to society while a breach of the norms of society is known as delinquency. Of course, adults are not the only ones who commit crimes. Even juveniles, i.e. children and teens below the age of 18, can commit crimes, and a crime committed by a juvenile is referred to as juvenile delinquency ...

The social disorganization theory associates the rates of delinquency with the levels of the socioeconomic conditions in any society. Continual poverty will increase delinquency especially among the lower class members of the community. It applies to the social landscape of America because of its stratified nature i.e. there has been an unequal distribution of prestige, wealth, and also power in the country (Part two- Theories of Delinquency, n.d., p. 130). The theory is more pronounced in the US than the cultural deviance theories because of the difficulty in subscribing to the behavioral demands of various social groups. In addition ...

A chronic juvenile offender is a young person having multiple criminal convictions that are spread over multiple criminal events (Baglivio, et al., 2014). The young offenders are either 11 years and younger having committed ten offences and have been arrested within twelve months or between 12 and 15 years with 15 offences and have been arrested over a duration of eighteen months. These offenders are also responsible for majority of the violent crimes (Fox, et al., 2015).
Thomas Jones cannot be classified as a chronic young offender since this is his first time to commit the offence. Henry Thompson ...

Introduction

Child prostitution is considered a curse that affects every continent globally with the situation increasing every year all over the world. There are over three million children who become victims of child prostitution each year globally. Factors such as gender discrimination and inequality, poverty, child trafficking and immigration and child labor contribute to the high level of child prostitution as a form of juvenile delinquency. Gender discrimination has contributed to over 98% of child prostitution being girls and in every 6 out of 10 victims must have been due to trafficking. The vice of child prostitution violates the rights ...

Answers to Questions One: Gang Intervention/ Prevention Program

An example of a gang intervention/prevention program: Mass Campaign against Gang Membership and Activities
Gangs in the United States have become a big problem in society. They engage in criminal activities and disturb the peace with every opportunity that they get. It is, therefore, important that these gangs be prevented from recruiting members and committing a crime. It is the duty of both the government and every citizen of the United States to participate in gang prevention and intervention activities.
Christian Outreach Planning Associates Incorporated or simply COPA is an organization that conducts sensitization campaigns against gang activity. There ...

The community has been struggling with the efforts to have a proper justice system for youth offenders. It is inevitable that there are a lot of crimes that are perpetuated by youths. Juvenile justice system has been designed to cater their needs. This would include the immediate family of the offender. What is really the essence of juvenile justice system?
The treatment for youth offenders over the years has been changing. In the ancient times, the crimes made by youth are still punishable on the same level with adult’s punishment. This has been contested through civilizations. In the ...

The presence of places of deprivation of liberty is an indispensable attribute of any state, as any penitentiary system provides an isolation of the offender as one of the measures to curb their illegal activity. Therefore, the presence of prisons and educational institutions, special treatment is not something unexpected even in developed countries with a low crime rate. But do children have to suffer from this system and if so, how much ‘adult’ must they be?
Each country has its own prison system, wherein the existence of certain rules and conditions of detention. Often these conditions do not meet ...

Psychology: Alberta Banner Turner

Introduction
Alberta Banner Turner, first ever African American who has received a degree of PHD in psychology from Ohio State University, is a role model and counsellor for youngsters and has been a pioneer in the field of psychology (African American Pioneers in Psychology, n.dat.). The objective of this paper is to discuss the biography of Alberta Banner Turner, one of the early female and ethnic minority pioneers in the field of psychology. This paper is divided into five sections. First section talks about the personal and educational history of Alberta Banner Turner. Second section deliberates the professional life ...

Introduction

Divorce has become prevalent in contemporary societies. As observed by scholars, the instances of divorce have substantially increased over the years most especially in countries where divorce laws are quite lenient. It appears then that the natural urge for parents to bind themselves together and establish a partnership in order to increase their ability to raise their offspring and to increase the survival of the family in general has somehow diminished. In the present society where divorce has become almost a part of a country’s culture, the possibility of having an intact family upbringing becomes increasingly slim. As divorce increases, the ...

This critique analyzes a journal by Özden Özbay of Nigde University, Turkey and Yusuf Ziya Özcan of the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey. This Journal reviews a research conducted among 1,710 high school students in the city of Ankara, Turkey in June 2001 to test the Hirsch’s Social Bonding Theory using a case study that compares female and male Delinquency. In the study, Hirsch’s social bonding theory is used to identify the aspects of the theory that can account for female or male delinquency. In addition, the research study tries to find out if social bonding variants can ...

Introduction

Violence among youths is a social phenomenon that has been experienced in many social settings and communities. To understand this phenomenon, we must understand that violence is not a single activity, but rather a socially defined group of events that share similar characteristics (Furlong&Smith,2004). Violence is a universal phenomenon, although there are some places where its prevalence is higher than others. Sociologists seek to investigate the factors that create higher rates of violence in some societies than others. This paper will approach the problem of teen violence form a functionalist approach.

The functionalist approach, also known as functionalism, has its roots in the ...

Introduction

The juvenile system of justice refers to the laws that govern juveniles, which refers to persons who are under 18 years of age. Consequently, juveniles can be punished for the crimes they commit and even in some cases, they can be tried in the same way as adults. However, there are several instances where parents have been fined or convicted for crimes done by juveniles. Additionally, there are laws that have been established to hold parents accountable for the various crimes committed by children who are minors. The issue of take the parent’s responsibility for their children’s ...

Physical abuse is an important issue related to the human development. It affects the growth and development of an individual. Physical abuse is a common phenomenon that is probably found in every society. There are different factors for physical abuse that affects the human development. Children in their childhood experience the physical abuse from their parents, for example, there are possibilities that their father or may be their mother abuse them physically. In addition, there are equal chances that a husband physically abuses her wife front of his parents that affects the children’s cognitions, emotions and behaviors. Physical abuse or ...

Redefining motherhood

Introduction
The economy and the cost of living change the perspective of parenting in general and mothering in particular. With a high demand for basic needs such as education, mothers are increasingly flooding the job market to earn a living and supply their children's needs. This action leads to high rates of single-parent families or inadequate interaction between the mother and her family. The traditional form of nuclear family consisting a working man as the sole bread-winner and the wife as a full-time home-maker is on the decline in most urban households (Garey, 1993). In order to match the new standards and ...

The organization that was chosen is the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). The BGCA is a national organization that is composed of local chapters that endeavors to provide after-school programs for the youth. The BGCA is granted with congressional charter by the American government under Title 36 of the U.S. Code. This organization is partly funded by the government and enjoys tax-exemption privileges.
The organization is actively involved in providing a better future for the youth as part of its corporate social responsibility to the community. BGCA ensures the safety and protection of young boys and girls, and ...

The main focus of this research paper is about juvenile delinquents and how they have affected the present criminal justice system. Currently, the number of juvenile delinquents or regarded as children in conflict with the law continue to grow for the past decade. Juvenile delinquents are considered one of the serious concerns in the criminal justice system since most of them are imprisoned. Due to the rising number of these youth offenders, several states within the country have created “teen courts” or likewise called the youth courts (Siegel and Welsh, 2010, p. 492). Based on the recent studies, the ...

A juvenile delinquent is a minor who has committed a crime. The minor is always under the age of eighteen and it is considered that the minor has no responsibility and therefore he or she cannot be given judgment as an adult. In some American states they have reduced their age to 14 but in Africa the age is below 21 years. Currently many young people are struggling with the question of identity. The norms that used to guide the pattern of how the minors were to behave are deteriorating. The values that were the pillars of the society are no ...

Today, there are many examples that prove that the best way of “keep[ing] the community safe at low cost” (Pritchard, 2003) is front-end juvenile programs, and one such example is the Silver River Marine Institute. Thus, arguably front-end programs are a more viable solution for dealing with juvenile offenders, especially those who have committed minor offenses. While it is true that one juvenile delinquent is different from another, however, one thing that applies to all of them is that early intervention is the most effective way to prevent juvenile delinquency (Flores, 2003). The sooner these children are provided with ...

Juvenile delinquency is a major problem facing many countries. Though there are many corrective facilities for the young ones, they often tend to revert back to their old vices even after encounters at the correctional facilities. As such, there is a need to find a lasting solution to this issue. Below are some of the principles that can be applied in ensuring that the juvenile correction is effective.

According to the Louisiana Models for Change (2010), there are various factors that can be considered when setting up the ten evidence-based principles and rehabilitative approaches. These principles are as stated below.

They should ...

All human beings are regarded as equal before the law. This is regardless of age, gender, race or religion. However, the rights and protections given to juveniles are not similar to those given to adults. The law provides protection to children differently from adults because children are presumed to be rational beings, but they are prone to being victims of human rights infringement. These rights are provided for in the constitution.

Youths have protection against self-incrimination. This is provided for as a constitutional right and statutory right. The juveniles also have the right to waiver this right in a court of ...

In order to understand where the juvenile justice system is today, we need to look back and understand the history of the juvenile justice system. When the first settlers arrived in America, they brought along the juvenile justice system that was in effect in England. This system evolved and improved through the 1800s. During the 1900s, landmark cases changed the course of juvenile justice in the United States. Unfortunately, the present juvenile system is more concerned with punishment than rehabilitation. Reformers are working to change the current juvenile justice system as it is too harsh. First, let us look ...

Reviewing Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs

Crime Causation and Diversion
Reviewing Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Programs

This paper studies programs that help prevent criminal activities among students. Three programs with different ratings are discussed: Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention of College Students (BASICS) program, which was rated effective, the Carrera Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program, which was rated promising, and the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), which was found to have no effect. The methods by which these programs reduce juvenile crimes are focused. The objectives and the goals of the programs are discussed along with the aid they provide to the youth. This information is ...