Teenagers are at the peak of their youth. They start realizing thing and is eager to try new things they haven’t tried before. But on the other hand, teenagers are the most fragile and are easy to get drawn into doing the wrong stuffs. They always have the tendency to wanting to be on the trend, to be considered ‘cool’, they basically just want to fit in with the people they are surrounded with. And sometimes, the pressure of wanting to fit in makes them do things they are not supposed to. The bad things don’t look like a bad thing to do anymore because everyone is doing it. Crime committed by children and teenagers under the age of 18 is called Delinquency. Delinquency has always been considered as social problem over and above the fact that it is a legal problem. It is also a psychological problem for there is a link between how teenagers brain works and how that results in their act in daily basis. Every country has its own unique laws regarding Juvenile delinquencies, they also have different statutory age for delinquency. Persons above this statutory age are considered as criminals and is charged with the usual laws.While persons below this statutory age are called delinquents. According to Coleman (1981) delinquency is behaviour of youths under 18 years of age which is not acceptable to society and is generally regarded as calling for some kind of admonishment punishment or corrective actions. Delinquency shows a variety forms of behavior. Each of the patterns has
Juvenile Justice Essay We are living in a society that thinks, acts and decides the way they live differently. Each individual has the capacity to decide and the ability to make their own choices. Around us we can see many things happening. One of them is the juvenile violence that each day the amount of crimes raise, and make the Supreme Court want to treat juveniles as adult when they commit a violent crime.
Teens today are also influenced by their peers on their actions. In the article “Peer Pressure” it says, “The term “peer pressure” refers to any type of influence that your friends may have over you. Many times, teens are influenced by their peers to do things that result in negative consequences. This is negative peer pressure. Specifically, negative peer pressure refers to activities such as using drugs, alcohol, or cigarettes; vandalizing property; using violence against others; having sex before you are ready or having unsafe sex; stealing; or driving drunk” (Feder).
Analyzing the juvenile delinquency, this can be perceived from different mindsets. Merriam-Webster defines juvenile delinquency as conduct by a juvenile characterized by antisocial behavior that is beyond parental control and therefore subject to legal action and a violation of the law committed by a juvenile and not punishable by death or life imprisonment. Also, a crimes committed by a person is only name a juvenile if the individual is under the age of eighteen In today’s society majority of kids are not born to be criminals or defined as above as delinquents. Children usually develop these habits or lifestyles choices due to poverty, circumstances and culture.
Arriving at the connection of crime to all three of our group 's topics was fairly easy. Each member brainstormed, out loud, their thoughts on ways that plants and cars could possibly lead to juvenile incarceration, which is our third group topic, in order to reveal a general connection. Tying cars to juvenile incarceration took the least creativity, since grand theft auto, driving while intoxicated, and use of vehicles to commit crimes are all issues related to delinquency. Plants was a slightly more challenging topic to link with juvenile incarceration. In general, it was too broad of a topic.
In the early 1900s, juvenile justice began to emerge in America, and many questioned if those under the age of 18 should be faced with the same punishments someone over the age of 18 received for the same crime. Later in the 1990s, many people had developed a fear of teenagers due to a “super-predator” myth, that teenagers were relentless and sought out to cause harm to others. Thus, the government tried to crack down on these sixteen to seventeen “hardened” criminals. Compared to other first world countries, America is on par with everyone else in terms of juvenile justice. However, that does not necessarily mean that the system is still outdated.
Although, some teens commit offenses at age thirteen and fourteen. “Approximately 79 individuals who committed offenses at age 13 or 14 have been sentenced to LWOP” (Charles Stimson, Elizabeth
The article “Worldview of high-risk Juvenile Delinquents” written by Julie H. Goldberg is focused on the relationship between violent juvenile offenders and their devastating past experiences. The participants of this research were male adolescents between the ages of 15 and 18 incarcerated who were also in the high-risk offenders Unit of a juvenile hall. The study was to predict participants’ willingness to shoot. Preexisting risk factors (delinquency, exposure to violence, and victimization) was required to be factored into any findings. There were 3 research questions and they are as follows:
Teens feel like they have no choices but what there parents, teachers, or other authority figures, tell them. Just like how all the districts had no choice, but to do what the capital says. Teenagers are very rebellious and don’t want to do what authority figures tell them. Modern day teens are very much like the main character of the Hunger Games Katniss. Katniss was always being told by the capital what to do.
Teenagers are very different in personalities some teenagers like to get in trouble and some don’t think of what will happen next in their everyday lifestyle. Their was this book that i have read and it was about teenagers doing drugs and drinking and they were making careless mistakes and some of the teenagers will not do any of those things because they think of the consequences. Also some teenager will do a lot of things like not driving right making wrong turns and other things but they get over it and pick up from the beginning. Some people believe that teenagers are careless and don’t think about their consequences. Teenagers are careless in public and in school because they are in front of other people and try to do bad things and show off.
Although many people view kids as a symbol of innocence and purity, many of their actions signify otherwise. The age of 18, which by law states people as adults, is more like a guideline when it comes to everyday activities. When a heinous crime is committed by one of these underaged citizens, the same punishment should definitely be applied, taking into consideration the seriousness of the crime and the victim. Thompson states that kids should not be tried as adults because their brain is not developed as an adult’s brain is. That study does not specifically explain why juveniles act the way they do.
In learning about Juvenile delinquency and theories on why delinquency occurs, I found that the choice theory was most applicable to a variety of juveniles and the reason why they choose to commit crimes. The choice theory suggests that “Juvenile offenders are rational decision makers who choose to engage in antisocial activity because they believe their actions will be beneficial”. (Siegel and Welsh, 2016, p. 58) It is my opinion, that most juveniles do have the ability to think for themselves and weigh the pros and the cons to committing a crime. I liked this theory most because I strongly agree that in the majority of juvenile delinquency cases, the act is a product of choice.
The set of the structural-functional theories are among the most widespread perspectives on the juvenile delinquency. The group of the theories regards that the behavior of the underage delinquent is caused by the breakdown of the social process that consequently results in the increase of conformity (Thompson & Bynum, 2016). The group of theories presumably blame institutions that are responsible for the socialization of the young delinquents for the way the socialize the individuals by causing them to conform to the values of the society. One of the central theories of the juvenile delinquency is the anomie theory that is rooted in the early studies by the sociologist Emile Durkheim.
Treatment rather than Punishment Thesis Statement: Children, as innocents and infantile, are unconsciously doing unwanted acts that may violate our laws, therefore insufficient guidance from family, environmental factors syndicates, poverty and problem on education, which are the main rationales for their involvement on crimes should be given corresponding solution by the government. INTRODUCTION Juvenile delinquency means that a youth specifically those who are below 18 years old commits an act that is against the law. It can also be used as legal term for the criminal behavior carried out by minors. According to UNICEF, an average of 10, 500 minors are being arrested and detained every year – about 28 children every day, or more
If we look at the different criminal justice systems around the world, most countries have laws or regulations stating the “age of criminal responsibility” (Maher. G). However, there has been no clear international standard identified regarding the age at which criminal responsibility could be reasonably charged for a juvenile offender. The Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC) appeals parties to establish ‘a minimum age below which children shall be
In recent years, the average age for first arrest has dropped significantly, and younger boys and girls are committing crimes. Between 60-80%