Chapter One

Issues In Understanding Juvenile Delinquency

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: 

1.      To define juvenile delinquency, and the related concepts of deviance and crime.

2.      To know how an informed citizen, a parent, or a staff member in a juvenile justice agency can make a decision about the worth of various delinquency theories and programs.

3.      To be aware that there are sociological, psychological, and other types of delinquency theory, and that programs are based on each type.

4.      To understand that common beliefs about delinquency and its control affect everyone’s reactions to adolescents who break the law.

CHAPTER OUTLINE:

·        Today, there is greater disillusionment with the effectiveness of delinquency programs, and a greater public fear that juvenile delinquency is “out of control.”  There is a philosophical “get tough” shift which includes sending more juvenile offenders out of the community to secure institutional programs.

·        States differ considerably in their relative emphasis on prevention and treatment as opposed to punishment.  Few states, however, emphasize just prevention, diversion, and treatment or just punishment.

Definition of Delinquent Behavior

·        Delinquent behavior is prohibited by law and is carried out by youths approximately up to the age of eighteen.  The upper age of jurisdiction varies among states.

·        State laws legally prohibit two types of behavior for juveniles: delinquent and status.

·        The concept of juvenile delinquency has not always referred to the same type of behavior, and it has not even always existed.

Four Key Issues in Understanding Delinquency

·        First, who are the adolescents with the most delinquent behavior?

·        Second, which theories offer the best explanation of the causes of delinquency?

·        Third, what programs and methods are effective in controlling delinquency?

·        Fourth, what do different groups in our society believe about delinquency?

Who are the Delinquents?

·        Newspaper, television, and magazine accounts of juvenile delinquency are probably the least reliable information we have on how delinquent youths are.

Theories and Programs

·        Theories identify the causes of delinquency, and programs are designed to eliminate or counteract these causes.

·        The majority of formal theories about delinquency causation have been sociological, psychological, or a combination of these orientations.

What Works?

·        While Robert Martinson questioned the success of programs for either juvenile or adult offenders, others argue that we should not be seeking the one general program for every type of offender.  Rather, we need to explore which methods work best for which type of offenders and under what conditions or in what type of setting.

Beliefs about Delinquency

·        According to Walter Miller, there are two extreme set of beliefs concerning delinquency and crime in general: the “right” and the “left”.

·        While beliefs about delinquency have changed in recent years, the American courts still perpetuate the concepts of parents patriae.  Parents patriae serves as a rationale for the court’s strong intervention with youths who might become serious delinquents, but who have up to this point committed only status or minor offenses.

·        In recent years, the public has perceived juvenile delinquency as being out of control and that these offenders need to be treatment in more punitive manner.

CLASSROOM DISCUSSION:

1.      What kinds of information would convince you that one delinquency program is better than another?

2.      Explain why we do not have just one or two programs for delinquents, but a combination of many, sometimes conflicting, programs.

3.      What questions about delinquency theory and programs can be answered through research.

4.      At this time, are delinquency programs consistent with beliefs on the right or the left?  Explain your answer.

5.      How would you evaluate the “new reform” efforts to replace large institutions with a combination of small, secure programs for violent offenders and structured, community programs for nonviolent offenders?