Age And Crime Essay

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Age and Crime,
For years people have been trying to define crime and its causes. One such theory suggests a link between age and crime. In this paper I will further discuss what is age and crime theory, what causes young adults to commit crimes more than older adults, and how this theory is used in the criminal justice system.
To understand the theory of age and crime, we must first understand what is meant by the words ‘age and crime’. Age obviously refers to the age of an offender or victim. Crime, as defined by the Merriam Webster Dictionary is, “an illegal act for which someone can be punished by the government.” Together age and crime help define a theory for what causes crime to occur.
The history of the theory of age and crime begins
Approximately (wierd percentage here) of young adults in America live in zones of transition. According to Shaw and McKay, transitional neighborhoods have the highest crime rates due to the high turnover rate and poor environmental conditions. (citation?). Young adults living in these conditions are more likely to be victims of crime and even commit crimes themselves. These neighborhoods result from people constantly moving in and out of them and from the poor living conditions such as inadequate housing and underfunded school districts. Seventy-five percent of high school dropouts will end up in jail or prison at some point in their lives. (CITATION). Ultimately, young adults who live in transitional neighborhoods are more likely to experience
One specific change would be to prosecute young adults as minors instead of as adults. As mentioned earlier, Germany has already put this into practice for many years. This alteration would allow young adults to receive lesser punishments and sentencings and would limit who could see their juvenile records later on in life. Prospective employers and other such people wouldn’t be able to judge or label the young adults based on a criminal history because they wouldn’t be able to gain access to it. Overall, everyone benefits from this proposition. The criminal justice system doesn’t need to pay to house more prisoners and young adults can carry on with their lives and become productive members of society label

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