In Todays Society, The Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency Is Running... Essay - 1,784 words

In todays society, the problem of juvenile delinquency is running more rampant than ever before. Also, the degrees to which it occurs are far more serious than they were, even ten years ago. The problem used to be over-simplified and chalked up to kids will be kids, but todays kids are contributing to much more serious crimes than they used to. One statistic states that youths under the age of 18 years accounted for 15.4% of arrests for violent crimes and 33.5% of arrests for property crimes in 1992. This statistic is more than ten years old, and with the increasing popularity of gang culture and substance abuse amongst young people, it would be safe to assume that these statistics have either increased, or at the very least, remained the same. With numbers as high as they are, delinquency amongst youths must be seen as a social problem that has to be dealt with soon, before it becomes even more out of control than it is right now.


Before we can begin to try and treat this behavior, we must establish a cause for it. As with a physical illness, a cure cannot be obtained until a cause is determined, therefore we must uncover the underlying factors that cause this behaviour, and then work from there to find a suitable treatment. As with all behavioral and psychological issues, the nature vs. nurture debate comes into play when discussing causes of delinquency. Many people feel strongly that one or the other is usually the cause of certain behavioral problems, but I tend to think that often, its usually the two theories working together. My hypothesis is that it is a combination of biological factors and learned behaviour that causes delinquency amongst young people, and not simply one or the other.


I feel that children are born with genetically pre-determined personality traits, such as violence, temper, morality & conscience levels, etc., but I dont believe that these traits get the chance to surface without being affected by external environmental factors. I feel that just as alcoholism, intelligence levels, and sense of humor are hereditary, so are violent tendencies, and conscience levels. However, I believe that even if a child is born with these tendencies, they arent likely to display them unless outside factors (i.e. peer group, family life) influence them. For example, if a child is raised in an abusive household or regularly associates with people who display these behaviors, these factors will trigger the repressed traits to surface, while if the child had been raised in a stabile, nurturing environment, they might not have. On the other hand, I dont believe that simply being raised in a destructive environment will cause somebody to behave immorally; this is where the necessity for the biological aspect comes in. There are thousands of people who are abused as children, or associate with the bad crowd, yet it does not cause them to behave in the same manner. Kohlbergs Theory of Cognitive Stages (1969) says that there are five stages in the development of moral reasoning, and that the relationship of this theory to delinquent behaviour lies primarily in the distinction between stages two and three. Stage two is described as children who have a naive awareness of others needs and define right as those actions that satisfy ones personal needs and sometimes the needs of others, while stage three children define right as those actions that meet the expectations of significant others.


In 1987, Gibbs noted that stage two individuals are more likely to commit law violations because their thinking is egocentric and pragmatic, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of their actions. Stage three individuals on the other hand, appreciate the perspectives and feelings of others, and do not want to disappoint their friends and family. This theory supports my hypothesis that the biologically determined trait, morality, has a significant impact on the tendency for adolescents to become delinquent. Goldstein and Glick concluded that moral reasoning is significant in the understanding and treatment of delinquent behaviour. Additional support of the biological theory lies in the fact that the rare XYY chromosomal condition has been correlated with crime, but direct causation had not yet been proven as of 1986.4 The social learning theory is the view that crime is learned in given social contexts through modeling, observation, and then reinforcement (Bandura, 1977; Nietzel, 1979). This theory supports my hypothesis that delinquent behaviour is also caused by environmental factors. The youth will observe, and model the behaviour he/she sees his/her parents and friends demonstrating. Young people are highly affected by what their parents say or do; this is how attitudes such as racism and homophobia are passed down generation to generation, despite the efforts of government, media and social groups trying to stop them.


Once the youth displays this type of behaviour, it will be reinforced, whether by acceptance and encouragement of a peer group, or by attention the child receives at home. Some children feel ignored at home, and will continue to misbehave, even to receive negative attention, just as long as they are being focused on. Methods I wrote and circulated a survey to 20 femal ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

...................You are reading a preview................... Visit our Blog and Unlock Full Access to this essay

Continue READING the FULL Essay by clicking HERE

Essay Tags: juvenile delinquency, social factors, youth crime, biological factors, delinquency

This is an Essay sample / Research paper, you can use it for your research of: In Todays Society The Problem Of Juvenile Delinquency Is Running