ABSTRACT
There are serious rising trends involving children and teens committing all sorts of crime, from individual acts to gang activity, all over the country. The issues regarding juvenile delinquency are a topic of great research and debate. There are a number of many theories from multiple disciplines, including economic, biological, psychological and sociological, that believe can explain why some children and teens become juvenile delinquents and others do not. Ultimately, there are many theories and each make valid points but, also, have weaknesses. Realistically, it is likely a combination of these different possibilities, making many of the causes of juvenile delinquency unique to individual offenders. Greater research and this study are worthwhile.
INTRODUCTION
Crime is an unfortunate reality of human civilization. Since rules and laws were put into place there have always been people who choose to break them. People expect there to be men and women who are wrong-doers, but it is not just adults, but children, as well. There are many crimes committed on a daily basis by individuals under the age of 18. There have been children as young as 8-years-old that have committed crimes. These crimes do not just consist of shoplifting, but far more serious crimes, armed robbery, car-jacking and even murder. When children and teens are frequently in trouble with the law they are labeled “juvenile delinquents” There are a number of types of delinquents, many theories to explain the behavior and a different suggestions as to how to address the problem, all of which contribute to the discussion of and eventual understanding of juvenile delinquency
BACKGROUND
Again there has always been crime of one kind of another and there have always been some children and teens that for any number of reasons have embraced a life of crime; one that may become a huge of part of their adult life as well. There are deemed to be four major types of juvenile delinquents most commonly seen.
Individual Delinquency: This means that the juvenile plans and follows through with the commission of crimes on their own, without coercion or outside influence (Bura, 2012).
Group-Supported Delinquency: This is the kind of delinquency is encouraged and influenced by a juvenile who associates with other juveniles that are already engaging regularly in criminal activities (Bura, 2012).
Organized Delinquency: This kind of delinquency occurs when the juveniles participate in an organized group where committing crimes is how they move up in the ranks and gain “respect” and belonging. This is the mentality seen in modern, juvenile gang activity (Bura, 2012).
Situational Delinquency: This is theory is the least common and considered type of delinquency. It argues that juvenile delinquents are not always controlled by their biology, predisposition or peer pressures. Sometimes the crimes are committed without forethought and are spur of the moment with little or no commitment to committing crime as associated with other theories (Bura, 2012).
DISCUSSION
Regardless of the types of crimes committed the reality is that more and more juveniles are committing crimes, more importantly, the nature of the crimes committed by those under the age of 18 are becoming more and more serious (American Bar Association, 2015). That said the need to understand how and why juvenile delinquency remains so rampant in the modern society is more and more a priority. There are a number of theories from the major perspectives economic, biological psychological and sociological that work to explain the instances and commonality of juvenile delinquency; each have strengths and weaknesses, as well as, supporters and oppositions.
Economic Theories: Economic theories all argue that the reasons for and the motivation of crimes is entirely influenced by the economic standing of the juvenile committing the crime. If someone has less money than another, then they may be inclined to gain what they lack through criminal means if necessary. It argues that people are well aware of the risks and benefits of their actions, like anyone else. However, when the potential gains outweigh the potential risks of capture and punishment, then a person can be compelled to commit crimes. Supporters believe that this is why eliminating poverty and unemployment would automatically lessen the statistics of crime in the United States. However, the opposition to economic theories argue that money and materialistic crimes, like robbery, might be decreased with the lessening of poverty, but that has little bearing on crimes like rape and murder, which have nothing to do with money or personal gain (Jacob, 2011).
Biological Theories: Biological theories regarding the commission of crime look at the nature of criminals is a matter of biochemical make-up and genetic predisposition. This is what, biological theorists claim, explains why criminal behavior often runs in families. Some people are just born criminals. However, this particular view is not the most popular. They will often reference the proof that showed that serial killers have variant brain structures from an average person. That is a very different reality because serial killers have severe mental illnesses that make them dangerous. Not everyone who commits crime has a mental illness (Palmerin, 2012). Opposition to biological theory argue that this view labels all criminals as mentally ill, when in fact many criminals, especially, juvenile offenders are not mentally ill, just guilty of making bad choices.
Psychological Theories: These theories argue that juvenile crime can be caused by their psychological development, their family life and with key elements of the individual juvenile’s personality. There are two main theories in psychology that are often applied to juvenile delinquency. The first is psychodynamic theory, which focuses on the abnormal personalities that the juvenile developed in their youth. In psychodynamic theory believes that the Id, which seeks gratification, the Ego works to control the Id and the Superego sets the boundaries and aids in controlling the Id. If the juvenile does not develop properly then the Id may be allowed to operate unhindered, meaning the juvenile will do things to achieve gratification. Again, however, this may explain the desire to rob or shoplift. The second theory is Social Learning Theory, which argues that juveniles who are introduced to criminal behavior during their early developmental years may perceive such activities as perfectly normal and standard (Palmerin, 2012). Therefore, basically, having no real choice but emulate the reality that they grew up experiencing.
Sociological Theories: Sociological theories argue that there are combination of things contributing to the commonality of juvenile delinquency. They argue it is the mix of social pressures, ethnicity, class and environment that can lead an individual youth to the commission of crimes. There are 3 different theories that are commonly applied to juvenile delinquency issues. Social Control Theories argue that juveniles will avoid crime because they fear and the existing social constraints. However, in an environment where criminal activity is ever-present then the necessary values have not been properly taught or absorbed. Social-Bonding Theory, argues that the behavior of juveniles is related to a "disconnect" between the juveniles and social order. Strain Theories argue that juvenile delinquency is caused by the absence of positive opportunities. (Barri Flowers, 2002). This means that juvenile delinquency can be caused by the stigmas of low class, under-education and lack of positive societal outlets.
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, there are a number of different reasons, causative agents and combinations of experiences that can lead many youths to acts of juvenile delinquency and potentially a life of future crime. Whether it is the a psychological, biological, social or economic theories that can account for the modern presence and rising statistics of juvenile delinquency, what matters is finding effective and beneficial means to change these trends and provide a different path for such children and teens. Modern criminal research and studies are being considered and conducted to understand more fully all of the factors that contribute to juvenile delinquency, which may lead to feasible approaches to decrease those rising statistics. All of the research with this goal in mind is worthwhile and should be highly supported.
REFERENCES
Barri Flowers. (2002). Sociological perspectives on delinquent behavior (from kids who commit
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Bura, R. (2012). What are the four main types of juvenile delinquency? Preserve Articles. 1.
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Jacob, A. (2011). Economic theories of crime and delinquency. Journal of Human Behavior in
the Social Environment. 21. 270-283.
Palmerin, M. (2012). Juvenile delinquency theory. Juvenile Justice. 1. Retrieved June 13, 2016,
American Bar Association. (2015). The history of juvenile justice. ABA Division for Public
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