Juvenile Delinquency: Genetic or Environmental
“Oh, well, I’ll end up in jail anyway! It’s in my genes!” This was the heartfelt declaration of a 15 year-old teen. Was it inevitable that he follow in his father’s footsteps on the path of delinquent behavior and subsequent brushes with the law? Was juvenile delinquency actually a by-product of genetics or could it be a product of “behavioral sink”- that environmental abyss that absorbs so many teens?
Definition of delinquency
Although arguable on both sides, environment clearly has the lead in determining juvenile behavior. The very definition of juvenile delinquency states: “Delinquency is a major social problem. Delinquents are likely to come from a background of poverty, to belong to a racial or ethnic group that experiences discrimination, and to live in an urban area. One theory is that children from the poorest part of society lack opportunities to develop in socially acceptable ways and turn to delinquency as a substitute. Another theory is that delinquency is learned behavior, acquired by associating with people who have little respect for the law. A third explanation is that juveniles who are caught and labeled delinquent by the authorities are likely to continue to break the law because that label makes it harder for them to be law-abiding.” (Academic American Encyclopedia,1995,Vol 11, p. 478) Nowhere in this definition is the term genetics or heredity addressed. So, are teenagers predestined to become delinquents? Definitely not! Each teen has the same opportunity to succeed. His day-to-day environment defines what he will do with this opportunity.
Impact of Family on Juveniles
A child is a blank slate at birth, eager to absorb and le...
... middle of paper ...
... Allyn and Bacon
Rosenberg, et al(2002). Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach. Biological Explanations of Juvenile Delinquency, ( 5th ed, pp. 109)
Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Bynam & Thompson(2002). Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach. Biological Explanations of Juvenile Delinquency, ( 5th ed, pp. 109)
Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Schauss et al.,(2002). Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach. Biological Explanations of Juvenile Delinquency, ( 5th ed, pp. 110)
Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Lonsdale & Shamberger,(2002). Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach. Biological Explanations of Juvenile Delinquency, ( 5th ed, pp. 111)
Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Rabin & McCall,(2002). Juvenile Delinquency: A Sociological Approach. Biological Psychogenic Explanations of Juvenile Delinquency, ( 5th ed, pp. 138)
Boston: Allyn and Bacon
The study seeks to determine the most prevalent causes among the criminal population that induce a propensity for criminal behavior. There needs to be a balance among attributing behavior to specific causes, but strong causal designs of intervention programs can risk unsuccessful or uncertain program outcomes, although weak causal reasoning cannot be adopted to practical use and the creation of interventions (Borowski, 2003). Past theories occasionally described juvenile delinquency attributed to a single factor: Poverty and social disorganization in neighborhoods, or more proximal causes such as problematic peer influences or ego deficiency (Borowski, 2003). The approach in recent models has been that delinquent behavior is due to a large number of factors operating at different levels, including both proximal and distal factors. The study will be operate from this perspective because it would be difficult to attribute juvenile delinquency, which can take many forms, to a single factor that invariably serves as a cause in all cases.
Juvenile delinquency may evolve around many different factors before it becomes a problem for society to solve. Gender and family structure can be a large and underlining cause of why children enter the criminal justice system. By examining the gender and family makeup, one could better understand how to treat a troubled individual.
Siegel, L., & Welsh, B. (2011). Juvenile delinquency the core. (Fourth ed., p. 54). Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Within the past decade there has been a wide range of research and evidence available based on both sides of the nature or nurture debate. Along with further research that identifies a number of determinants that have some form of influence towards criminal behavior and activity. This researc...
The study of Juvenile delinquency and the theories pertaining to it are vital for several reasons. In order to more effectively engage with youths and foster positive behavior and schemas, the individuals must first be understood. The study of theory provides a means of understanding adolescents and the factors that lead to or detract from delinquent behavior. In the case of juvenile delinquent, Jordan Brown, theory helps to provide insight into why an eleven-year-old boy murdered his stepmother.
Skyes, Gresham M. and David Matza. 1998. “Techniques of Neutralization: A Theory of Delinquency.” Pp. 105-116 in Juvenile Delinquency: Historical, Theoretical, and Societal Reactions to Youth, 2nd ed., edited by P. M. Sharp and B. M. Hancock. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Spence, Ralph B. (1950). Impact of education on juvenile delinquency. Journal of Educational Sociology, 24 pp. 3-9 (1), Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/pss/2263979
Thompson, W, & Bynum, J. (1991). Juvenile delinquency. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
Gladwell demonstrates that hard work does not get people to high places but a series of opportunities and other factors will. What people have grown up to think about hard work is not true and it is demonstrated through these various examples. People will not be able to succeed, practice, and master their skills without opportunities, timing, devotion, and moral support. There is no such thing as “rags to riches” because those people would not be rich unless they had opportunities in their life. Remember that with out these key factors, people will never be able to succeed.
Onwediwe, I. (2004). “Theoretical Perspectives on Juvenile Delinquency: Root Causes and Control.” ProQuest Criminal Justice, 66, 153-156.
Nature vs. nurture has been one of the oldest and most debated topics among psychologists over the years. This concept discusses whether a child is born into this world with their developmental work cut out for them or if a child is a “blank slate” and their experiences are what shape them into who they are. Over the years and plenty of research, psychologists have all mostly come to agree that it’s a little bit of both. Children are both born with some genetic predispositions while other aspects of the child’s development are strongly influenced by their surrounding environment. This plays into the criminal justice system when discussing where criminal behavior stems from. Is a criminal’s anti-social behavior just part of their DNA or is it a result of their upbringing? The answer to this question is not definite. Looking at research a strong argument can be made that criminals developed their anti-social patterns through the atmosphere in which they were raise, not their DNA.
...& Snipes, J. (2010). Biological Factors and Criminal Behavior.Vold's theoretical criminology (6th Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Thompson, W. E. and Bynum J. E. (2010). Juvenile Delinquency: A sociological Approach Eighth Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
The distinction between nature versus nurture or even environment versus heredity leads to the question of: does the direct environment or the nature surrounding an adolescent directly influence acts of delinquency, later progressing further into more radical crimes such as murder or psychotic manifestation, or is it directly linked to the hereditary traits and genes passed down from that individual adolescent’s biological parents? To answer this question one must first understand the difference between nature, nurture, environment, and heredity. Nurture, broken down further into environment, is defined as various external or environmental factors one is exposed to which can be more specifically broken down into social and physical aspects. Nature, itself broken down into heredity, is defined as the genetics and the individual characteristics in one’s personality or even human nature.
Juvenile delinquency is one of the major social issues in the United States today. Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is when “a violation of the law committed by a juvenile and not punishable by death or life imprisonment” (Merriam-webster.com). Although we have one justice system in America, the juvenile system differs from the adult juvenile system. Most juvenile delinquents range from as low as the age of seven to the age of seventeen. Once the delinquent or anyone turns the age of eighteen, they are considered an adult. Therefore, they are tried as an adult, in the justice system. There are many different reasons why a child would commit crime, such as mental and physical factors, home conditions, neighborhood environment and school conditions. In addition, there are a variety of effects that juvenile justice systems can either bad effects or good effects. Finally there are many different solutions that can reduce juvenile delinquency. As a result, juvenile delinquency is a major issue and the likeliness of it can be reduced. In order to reduce juvenile delinquency there has to be an understanding of the causes and the effects.