Juvenile Delinquency

Delinquency can be defined as a youth person who has committed a crime or violated probation; others define a delinquent in terms of their actions, such as “immoral or vicious persons” (Bartollas & Schmalleger, 2013, p.8). Children are no longer considered a youth offender from ages 16-18 years old, persons under 18 years old are charged with a law violation then considered to be juveniles (Bartollas, 2013, p.8).

Juvenile Delinquency is the participation of illegal behavior by a minor who falls under a statutory age limit. A delinquent is a minor who commits a crime or a status offense. A status offense is conduct that is illegal only because the child is under age i.e. smoking cigarettes (Senna 10, 20). The cases of Eric Smith, Lionel Tate, and an unidentified NJ child are similar only because, they are guilty of killing another child, but the Criminal Justice System treated and punished them very differently. In August 1993 in Savona, New York 13 year old Eric Smith killed 4 year old Derrick Robie. Smith lured Robie into the woods and strangled, beat with large rocks, and sodomized Robie. Smith was questioned by police and kept changing some

Before that children had very few rights and were not considered different, indeed they were treated as young adults as soon as they could fend for themselves. Before this time infanticide (infant death) was not unheard of and there was no graduated system for education, you could expect to find children ranging from ages 10-20 in the same classroom and behaviour was unruly and sometimes violent.

Through reading and research, it has become clear that incarceration does more harm than good for the those in the justice system. By being incarcerated, the inmate is being separated from family members, becomes socially distant from society, and has the influence of violent offenders. To house the inmate in a correctional center costs simnifically more than to treat the offender through probation. It is our God given duty to hold those accountable for their actions while providing them the tools and treatments needed to become who God intended them to be (Fischer 2016).

In the early nineteenth century juveniles were treated the same as adults when it came to the legal system. We did not have separate courts or jails for juveniles and they would often receive the same punishments as adults that had committed crimes. “At the beginning of the

Juvenile delinquency is a social issue in the United States today. Juvenile delinquency, is when “a violation of the law is committed by a juvenile and is not punishable by death or life imprisonment” (Juvenile Delinquency). The juvenile system is different from the adult system in many way and most juvenile delinquents are from the age of ten to the age of seventeen (Juvenile Delinquent). Once the delinquent or anyone is at the age of eighteen, they are considered to be an adult. Therefore, in the justice system they are tried as an adult. There are many different reasons why a child would commit crime, such as mental and physical factors, peer influence, home conditions, neighborhood environment and school conditions. Teens are greatly influenced by the interactions and surroundings they are around. Their behaviors can result from the parent and/or their peer influences. Parents play a great role in the child’s life and a teen’s peers also play a strong role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not insight. This research will examine links between the social environment of teens and how it influences the teens actions and behavior which leads them to commit an offense.

During colonial times, children were perceived as “property of the parents,” hence, parents were allowed to “classify their children as stubborn and seek state punishment, including capital punishment” (Hinton, Sims, Adams, & West, 2007). The critical issue that arose from that belief was that children were no longer viewed as small and innocent instead they were judged as adults.

Two issues that are related to juvenile delinquency are substance abuse and mental health issues. The Juvenile Justice System is contantly being reevaluated for reform. The desensitization of today’s youth to drugs and violence can lead to them trying drugs for the first time at younger ages. Soceity is also seeing an increase in young people with mental health issues today than ever before. My wife worked in a local residential treatment facility for at-risk youth for several years. Substance abuse and mental health issues were recurring themes with the youth who entered that facility. The treatment began with the individual and where possible included the family.

What is considered a juvenile delinquent? Criminal courts would say that a juvenile delinquent is a child that is between the ages of 7 to 14 years of age. Nowadays, 14-year-old children can be charged with certain crimes that may be handled like adults. Today, many states determine that a child is considered to be a juvenile until the age of 18; however, in some states they set limits at 16 and 17 years-of-age. Under the age of 18, many offenses are considered juvenile delinquency. We see that crimes that are committed by juveniles have increased with violent crimes, drug crimes, gangs, and many more. With this in mind, some may argue to charge the juvenile as an adult based on the seriousness of the crime. These delinquent acts are considered to be crimes that may be committed by adults or even

In the United States, the juvenile delinquency system is specialized and is aimed at rehabilitating children, rather penalizing them, an absent system in Russia. Prior to the birth of the USSR, there was a specialized system for juveniles and records showed that it was a relatively successful procedure. Once in power, the Soviet government abolished the practice in 1918, transforming juvenile affairs into a political commission and removing the need for lawyers. Since the fall the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation has yet to implement a specialized system in attending to the needs of juvenile offenders. The Committee of the Rights of Child emphasizes heavy concerns in the lack of a specialized juvenile courts, especially when they court

Recidivism is when someone returns to the same behavior that they were previously doing (Unruh, Gau, & Waintrup, 2009). There are many factors that raise the risk of juvenile recidivism such as single parenting, and even when the parents become involved in drug use. When juveniles become high risk for recidivism it is important that the adults whether it be the parents, teachers or any adult in authority step in to help the juvenile to make better choices. By an adult taking an interest in the child it can prevent them from falling into a group that becomes high risk. From 1984 through 1997 a 71% there was a rise in crimes committed by juveniles that were also violent offences

When deciding how juveniles should be treated or punished for their crimes, depends on the individual and the severity of the crime they commit. The term juvenile is classified as anyone who commits a crime that is generally between the ages of 7 and 17. There are many critics that argue different ways and ideas on how to handle juveniles and whether or not their age should affect their consequences. Some view that juveniles should be treated more for rehabilitation rather than punishing them. The supporters that believe in rehabilitation for juveniles have come up with ideas like boot camps and detention facilities. Then there are some critics that believe that juveniles should just be punished for their actions and take responsibility

Juvenile delinquents vary from ages ten to eighteen who have committed an act that violates the law. With every crime that is committed, there is a victim who has been impacted negatively. In Hampden County and all throughout the country, juvenile delinquents have victimized other juveniles, but also parents, business owners and even complete strangers. My job as a Victim/Witness Intern was to be the voice for those who don’t have one in a court of law. All of the victims and witnesses are trying to achieve justice and live their life after being affected by a crime. Most of the cases I had worked on this semester have been domestic related where a juvenile’s mother, father or family member have had violent or aggressive behavior against

Juvenile delinquents commit crimes to get away from an abusive household or life problems. It is a coping method which allows the individual to have a sense of power and belonging in the world. When this notion is perpetuated, people never change since no one intervenes in attempting to rehabilitate people in need of assistance.The few dedicated persons who work diligently to create a transformation in the lives of juveniles deserve recognition for lowering crime rates. Cyntoia Brown is an example of a teenager who had a sense of innocence robbed from her, therefore resulting in a drastically different maturation process. She is accused of murdering man who hired her as a prostitute as a 16 year old. Ms.Brown is a 29 year old model inmate who earned a GED and an associates degree while in prison but unfortunately she was sentenced to life in prison. Many celebrities rally behind this case and do not think that she is a dark person. The sole reason why Cyntoia killed the man who expected her services, was to escape an outcome of inevitable pain and suffering. If juveniles are tried as adults, they will never find out the deepest secrets about themselves and live a normal life. Therefore, I believe it is never appropriate to treat juveniles as adults because these individuals become accustomed to a lifestyle of mundaneness which harms their mental and physical state in a negative manner. My position has not changed since I think juvenile incarcerations stunts adulthood

I searched for articles and recent publications on the topic of youth delinquency in the United States on both Google, which is the search engine I use the most, as well as on EBSCO. Reading through the results on both search engines was very informative and I believe I was able to form a solid understanding of the topic and current discussions through the information I gathered.