Delinquent Behavior
Delinquent behavior refers to the illegal actions committed by young offender aged mostly below the age of 18 years. The term is also used to explain the behavior of children who show acts of disobedience or mischievousness to the point where their parents cannot control them and thus they are subject to legal action by the justice system. Some factors such as ethnicity, social/economic status, race, and gender affect the landscape of juvenile delinquency in the United States. For instance, studies show that most of the youths affected include mostly African Americans and Latinos. Juvenile delinquency is also prevalent to the young people with lower social/economic backgrounds since poverty forces them to engage in petty crimes such as shoplifting and stealing. Gender is also another factor which greatly influences the juvenile landscape in the United States as most of the offenders are males (Siegel, & Welsh, 2012). A comparison between men and females convicted of juvenile delinquency shows that male youths include the highest number as compared to women across the United States.
Wallace's (2016) plans to transform the juvenile justice system include changing how the treatment offenders where the main focus entail habilitating them instead of rehabilitating them. Wallace argues that rehabilitation is only achieved if the system is sure that such kids had a good life before (Siegel, & Welsh, 2012). In his arguments, Wallace also suggests that some changes should be done to the system including focusing on the offenders, family ties, locking the juveniles away from other offenders and developing community connections. Wallace's arguments are the point on since they can go a long way in addressing some of the practical concerns which have been raised by stakeholders in the justice system concerning the treatment of juveniles.
References
Siegel, L.J., & Welsh, B.C. (2012). Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
