Juvenile Delinquency And Mischief Theory

Juvenile delinquency is very prevalent is today’s society. Juvenile delinquents are minors, usually defined as being between the ages 10 and 18, who have committed some act that violates the law (Juvenile Delinquents). Juvenile delinquency is committed by children who disobey and exhibit troublesome behavior. I have created a theory known as the “full of mischief theory”. The full of mischief theory examines the causes of delinquency, explaining factors such as the quality of relationships with family and other peers as well as behaviors that delinquents learn from others which contribute to crime. The fill of mischief theory uses concepts from the control theory and social learning theory in order to explain behaviors that cause criminal activity.

According to Hirschi, there are four elements to his social control theory. The most important element of the social bond is attachment, which is said to be the basic element necessary for the internalization of values and norms. The Second element commitment, is the rational investment one has in a conventional society and the risk one takes when engaging in deviant behavior. The third element is involvement, which is based on the commons sense observation that “idle hands are the devil’s workshop” and that being busy restricts opportunities for delinquent activities. The final element of social bond is belief. Hirschi said that belief is “a variation in the extent to which people believe they should obey rules of society, and, furthermore that the less a person belies he should obey the rules, the more likely he is to violate them” (Bernard, T., Snipes, J., & Gerould, A., 2016

The social learning theory is one of the most widely used modern theories to explain violent behavior exhibited by juveniles. According to the theory, the behavior of individuals is learned and influenced primarily through their own personal experiences and relationships (Finley, L., 2007). Theorist Edwin Sutherland created the theory of differential association, stating that criminal behavior is learned, that it was a process, and that learning occurred in primary groups (Finley, L., 2007). For example, kids that learn from peers that are involved with criminal activity, are more likely to eventually commit criminal acts in the future. Sutherland created nine propositions which explained his theory outlining socialization that delinquents experience in forms of interactions with peers. Sutherlands theory consists of nine points which include: 1. Criminal behavior is learned 2. Criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons in process in communication 3. The principal part of the learning of the criminal behavior occurs within intimate personal groups 4. When criminal behavior is learned, the learning includes: a. techniques of committing the crime, which are sometimes very complicated, sometimes very simple; b. the specific direction of the motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes 5. The specific directions of motives and