For this week’s research assignment, the class was asked to review one of two articles. I chose Gottfredson and Soule’s article “The timing of property crime, violent crime, and substance use among juveniles (2005). The authors wanted to further examine if there was a correlation in delinquent time through various hours throughout the day. More specifically, they wanted to narrow down the crimes into specific groups, which were: property crimes, violent crimes and substance use among the juvenile population. In examining this article, we will focus on the research design that was utilized, data-gathering strategy, sampling method, dependent/independent variables, and the findings of the study that was embarked upon.
According to Hagan
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“Dependent variables are the ones attempting to predict while independent variables are the causes, determines, or precedes in time, the dependent variable” (Hagan, 2010, p.16). The dependent variable in this particular study that Gottfredson and Soule were evaluating was juvenile delinquency. The independent variables in the study were broken down into three separate crimes: property offenses, violent crimes and substance abuse. According to Gottfredson and Soule (2005), juveniles were coded as having used drugs if they admitted to having smoked cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, drunk beer/wine/liquor, or smoked THC in the past year. Subsequently, juveniles were coded as having engaged in property crime if they admitted to damaging or destroying property not belonging to them, theft under and over $50, joyriding or breaking into a building and/or a car. Violent crimes were coded if the juvenile admitted to carrying a weapon, gang fighting, hitting or threatening to hit other peers, or using force to get money (Gottfredson & Soule, 2005, p.5). The hours during the day were broken down into six different categories: Before school, during school, when school let out to 6 PM, 6 PM to midnight, midnight and 6 AM and the weekends. By separating the times out along with the different types of offenses, the authors were able to come to a consensus on their findings, which …show more content…
By using this particular analysis method, the authors were able to demonstrate the importance of situational, time-varying factors as a means to explain delinquent behaviors. The results of the study, according to Gottfredson and Soule (2005) revealed that 7.8% reported drug use, 7.4% reported property crime, and 21.6% reported any crimes against persons. I found the rates a bit high for crimes against persons but this appears to be due in part to the fact that the threat to hit another student was included here. The study revealed that drug use and property crimes occurred more frequently on the weekends than any other time. Crimes against a person often occurred during and after school. How could this be? When broken down further, youth are confined to smaller spaces during school hours which often leads to additional peer pressures to fight. Property crimes were elevated prior to school, as well.
According to Gottfredson and Soule (2005), the implications of their study revealed the need for additional studies as a means of crime prevention. The research implied that prior research overestimated the after-school crime peak, likely due to relying solely on law enforcement data. The authors felt that due to the results of their study, additional strategies were needed to be put into effect to curb delinquent crime. Some of the suggestions
The contributing factors to juvenile crime may include poor education performances, poor upbringing, substance abuse, disadvantaged socioeconomic status, low school
In chapter two we start to dive into the world of measurements of delinquency, and all that applies. We able to see juvenile court statistics and a bar graph that is provided on page 30 in the text book, that a majority of the offenses was arson, then vandalism, then disorderly conduct, and so on and so forth. Lastly, in that chart, is driving under the influence. There is also a connection between racial and ethnic backgrounds and delinquency described in chapter two as well, and one of the findings was from the national longitudinal survey of adolescents health. In the chapter it also is stated that escalation of offenses is an important dimension of delinquency, this is because it shows us that if you start at a young age with breaking the law and being delinquent and defiant, it is only going to escalate from there. There are also different pathways delinquents can take, authority conflict pathway, covert pathway, and overt pathway. Authority conflict is stated to be a pathway that consists of “a sequence of stubborn behavior, defiance, and authority avoidance” (Bartollas and Schmalleger, 2008) pg. 41. There is also the idea of
There are many reasons why juveniles become delinquent. Stress is a huge factor when dealing with juveniles. The Strain Theory suggests that strain/stress and negativity may directly and/or indirectly lead to delinquency. Stain/stress lead to negative emotions which can fuel delinquency including violence, vandalism, truancy, illegal drug use, and theft. According to Sickmund & Snyder, males tend to be more aggressive and involved in violent crimes than females. A 2003 survey suggests that 33 percent of high school students have admitted to being involved in one or more physical altercations within the past 12 months. Of the 33 percent of students, males were substantially more likely to fight than females, and more likely to commit a violent act (Sickmund & Snyder, 2006).
A review of a wide range of literature indicates that researchers have conducted significant research on this particular topic on juvenile delinquency and the impacts that the general strain theory has had in understanding such behaviors. However, the majority of these studies have not been able to provide a clear connection between the negative behaviors shown among teenagers and youths and their criminal behaviors. In most cases, researchers argue that such behaviors may come about due to
The relationship between age and delinquency is evidence by an agreement between all three data sources, which show that crimes peak during mid to late adolescence. Rates for property crime peak in mid to
Some causes for conduct in adolescents are no discipline, unstructured discipline and a broken home. A broken home is one of the factors that can produce a delinquent child. A broken home reduces the opportunity for creating a strong attachment between child and parents and that reduces the parent’s ability to condition the child. Many theories concerning the causes of juvenile crime focus either on the individual or on society as the major contributing influence. Theories centering on the individual suggest that children engage in criminal behavior because they were not sufficiently penalized for previous delinquent acts or that they have learned criminal behavior through interaction with others.
When it comes to juvenile delinquency an adolescent personality is usually impacted from different factors such as early child hood experiences of witnessing a crime, seeing a violent act, being the victim of a crime, or being around others or family who engaged in criminal activity, these factors can either create an adolescent with a positive or negative attitude, or an anti-social behavior which could create a path for a delinquent behavior (Wilson, p. 34). A study has shown that family interactions accounts for about 40 percent of the cause of an adolescent with an anti-social behavior, the study also shown that aggressiveness which is a common trait of adolescent who engage in delinquent acts is usually created from peer influences (Wilson, p. 34).
This essay will compare and contrast some psychological and sociological approaches to studying juvenile delinquency and disorder behaviour. The question is what makes people behave disorderly. Youth disorderly behaviours are studied using different approaches including psychological and sociological approaches. Both psychological and sociological approaches to studying juvenile delinquency are necessary. This essay starts with outlining and defining disorderly behaviour and juvenile delinquency. Then, it will look at the work of Eysenck, the Cambridge Study of Delinquent Development research which was a longitude study and the Integrated Cognitive Antisocial Potential theory by Farrington, all fit in psychological approach; studying the connection between personality and disorder. It will then look at Sociological approach by looking at the work of Howard Becker, Stan Cohen and Stuart Hall. This essay will be analysing and comparing their theories and separating the differences and noting the similarities in their ideas. This essay will provide evidence for each theory. It will then conclude by specifying significant similarities and differences in the light of the evidence presented.
Deviance among adolescents in our society has many different causes and multiple theories throughout the history of criminal justice have been developed to attempt to explain, prevent and reduce incidents of status offenses and juvenile delinquency. There are theories varying from individual, to social and environmental. All of these theories have their merits and contribute in one way or another to the advancement of the understanding of juvenile delinquency and the treatment and prevention of delinquency within our society. Those that have proven to be successful we have applied in our justice system while those that are proven over time to be ineffective or defective we have discarded. There is no single theory that applies to all delinquent behavior in all situations. It is best to determine what theory may work best in each specific case based on the individual and the specific situation. Dodge’s information processing theory of social problem solving (Crick and Dodge 1994) was developed by Kenneth Dodge in an attempt to explain the interaction between the child’s cognitive development and their social environment. This theory combines elements of both the individual and the social environment and examines how these two variables interact with each other to present a model for juvenile delinquency. During my investigation of this topic I discovered that an adapted model of Dodge’s theory existed that seemed to be more encompassing of the causes of juvenile delinquency,
Across the nation, social scientists and criminologists have researched and hypothesized the main contributing factors that promote juvenile delinquency. The Strain/ Anomie theory introduced by Robert Merton and later revised by several other theorists, attempts to explain why juvenile subculture tend to behave certain ways when confronted with pressures from everyday life. Revised by other theorists, the Strain theory attempts to provide the framework of juvenile delinquency and its sources in order to analyze the effectiveness of this assumption, as well as to implement certain crime prevention policies and programs to curb this problem. This paper is going to analyze how the Strain theory contributes it’s principles of delinquency
Juvenile offending is a major problem in society. Understanding the risk factors that contribute to the increased likelihood of a juvenile to engage in delinquency is important. There are many factors that can influence the increased risk of juvenile delinquency. These factors include poverty, low socioeconomic status, age (Jarjoura, Triplett, & Brinker, 2002), race, gender (Lucero, Barret, & Jensen, 2015), education (Lucero, Barret, & Jensen, 2015; Jarjoura, 1993), and family structure (Anderson, 2002; Kierkus & Hewitt, 2009). It is important to examine if some risk factors can contribute more than others and to what extent they interact with one another. This paper will discuss three important risk factors that contribute to the likelihood of juveniles engaging in deviant acts. The three risk factors discussed are poverty, family structure, and educational attainment. In addition, this paper will demonstrate how these three risk factors interact with one another, resulting in a higher propensity for involvement in juvenile delinquency.
In the United States, juvenile delinquency is becoming a major problem in the communities across the country. Because of the actions that these juveniles engage in on a regular basis, taxpayers across the country are having to shell out hundreds upon thousands of dollars to rehabilitate these children in order to help them make better choices. This leads citizens to wonder what factors actually cause juveniles to live a life of crime rather than success. In short, there are three main factors that often cause children to live a life of crime. These three factors are social influences, psychological characteristics, and academic potential.
A juvenile delinquent is an individual under the age of eighteen years old who fails to abide by the law. When identifying the causes of juvenile delinquency society can slow down or prevent the behavior by using strategies. The quality of peers, family, parenting, community and school area can all be predictors of juvenile delinquency. Theories help us explain why juveniles are engaging in delinquent behavior and it is important to understand why because it helps us explain the motives for their actions. Reckless’s theory, Hirchi’s theory, labeling theory, and Agnew’s theory all seek to explain why delinquency happens mostly in the lower class societies. In the movie Boyz n The Hood by John Singleton there are many social factors that
The social environment of teens holds an enormous influence on how the teens act and behave. Teens are easily influenced by their surroundings and they look to others for guidance. Their behavior results from that of the parent and peer influences. Parents play a particularly influential role in their child’s life and it is up to them to make sure that they are leading their sons or daughters in the right directions. A teen’s peers also play a large role in how the teen behaves when the parents are not around. A teen’s social environment, consisting of family and peers, plays a vital role in their life, therefore becoming the ultimate cause of juvenile delinquency.
Social and economic development greatly influence the factors of juvenile delinquency. Economic crisis, political instability, and the weakening of major institutions leads to juvenile delinquency. Socioeconomic instability is often linked to unemployment and low incomes among the young, which can increase the likelihood of their involvement in criminal activity.