Consensus Theory Juvenile Delinquency

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The Consensus theory is a social theory that holds that a particular political or economic system is a fair system, and that social change should take place within the social institutions provided by it. Which happens to be the opposite of conflict theory which states that society is in a state of perpetual conflict due to competition for limited resources. It holds that social order is maintained by domination and power, rather than consensus and conformity. With the consensus theory it can be said that society continues to pass down social “norms” that have been carried for many generations. People often understand how society is operated. For example, as a consensus theorist often the mindset of a four membered house hold would be a mother, …show more content…

Juvenile delinquency is the habitual committing of criminal acts or offenses by a young person, especially one below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible. Although roughly related, as a consensus theorist juvenile delinquency is something that will not be tolerated in criminal law. “If a crime is committed it is punished by what the society considers appropriate” (The Consensus theory of criminal law, Miguel Wong). This relates to juvenile delinquency in the sense that laws are placed in society to limit crime. If delinquents are to not abide by set laws, punishment is enforced in a court like system as it has been since the time and centuries of Plato and Aristotle. With the consensus theory individuals of the court system agree on the values and terms of the crime and define what is right and wrong. Often times there is a strong barrier between what the court believes and juvenile delinquency. As times begin to change, more and more things are being passed as laws. The age barrier between those enforcing the set laws and the delinquents breaking them play a part as to why the consensus theory an “out dated theory”. During a juvenile delinquency case, the consensus theory of criminology should not play such a vital part in the

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