Juvenile Crimes

1981 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: the increase of juvenile crime

A juvenile is defined as not yet adult; young, childish, immature. In the United States, definitions and age limits of juveniles vary. The 16-20 year old age group has one of the highest incidences of serious crime (ojjdp.org). In 1994, juveniles accounted for 19% of all violent crime arrests in The United States. Although juvenile arrests for violent crimes declined 3% from 1994-1995 (the first decrease in almost ten years), the number of juvenile violent crime arrests in 1995 was 67% above the 1986 level. Among juvenile offenders, males make up 85% of the total arrests for violent crime index offenses (Colorado.edu). Females make up 34%. Boys ages 12-17 are one and a half more likely to be victims of violent crimes than girls. Minorities play a key role in juvenile crimes. African American juveniles were six times more likely than Caucasian juveniles to be victims of homicide in 2002.

Between 1996 and 2000, the number of female juvenile arrested for violent crimes such as murder, robbery and aggravated assault increased 25% with no increasing arrests of male juveniles for the same offense. Female juvenile arrests for property crimes such as burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson have increased 21% while male arrests decreased 4% (Hoffman, 2001). Female involvement in crimes has evolved into a significant trend. However, young females are far less likely than males to violate the law. Some of the contributions to the increase in female delinquency are that female delinquent behavior is related to weak bonds with parents and school. Most female violent behavior is learned behavior and so unfortunately violence is the only or the most effective way to achieve status, respect and other social and personal needs. The initial causes of violence are found in the early learning experiences in the family which includes weak family bonding and ineffective monitoring and supervision. Involvement with delinquent friends is the strongest and most immediate cause of serious violent behavior for females. It is within this group that violence is encouraged. The problems encountered by an adolescent female at school causes stress and conflict. If supervision and monitoring are not available to help the female, the likelihood of violence will occur (Barbour, 1999).

When a juvenile commits a crime, the court where the juvenile will be in becomes a factor. Some juveniles...

... middle of paper ...

...re a teenager should know right from wrong. Ethics is something that starts at home when growing up. Some may argue what if a person doesn’t have a stable upbringing? There are other alternatives such as school clubs, community organizations, church and other positive things. Many may argue that 28 years is “too long” for a 14 year old to serve. So then, what is “too short?” If Brazill was maybe 24 or 40 then maybe this wouldn’t be an issue. Some would feel that he has lived most of his life and so spending the rest of his life in prison would be okay. To send a 14 year old to prison until the age of 42 is unjust to some. They feel he would miss growing up, high school, interacting with others his age, etc. I think maybe he should’ve been interacting with others his age before deciding to even take a gun to school. He is old enough to know that a gun is trouble. He had to know that what he did called for punishment. I agree with POA that if he does go to juvenile court and serve maybe 7 years for killing a teacher than that is suppose to be okay? If Brazill was old enough to shoot and kill someone than he is old enough to be punished in an adult prison just like any other minor.

Show More
Related

  • Slavery John Barabot Summary

    1272 Words  | 3 Pages

    Olaudah tells the story of slavery from a different perspective; “Their complexions too differing so much from ours, their long hair, and the language they spoke, (which was very different from any I had ever heard) united to confirm me in this belief. Indeed such were the horrors of my views and fears at the moment, that, if ten thousand worlds had been my own, I would have freely parted with them all to have exchanged my condition with that of the meanest slave in my own country.” “I asked them if we were not to be eaten by those white men with horrible looks, red faces, and loose hair. They told me I was not.”

    Read More

  • Olaudah Equiano Rhetorical Analysis

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    The fight for racial equality is one of the most prominent issues Americans have faced throughout history and even today; as the idea that enslaving individuals is unethical emerged, many great and innovative authors began writing about the issues that enslaved people had to face. Olaudah Equiano was no exception. In his work The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, he attempts to persuade his readers that the American way of slavery is brutal, inhumane, and unscrupulous. Equiano manages to do this by minimizing the apparent differences between himself and his primarily white audience, mentioning the cruelties that he and many other slaves had to face, and the advantages of treating your slaves correctly.

    Read More

  • Essay On Olaudah Equiano

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    Olaudah Equiano was a freed slave living in London who made it his life person to abolish the British slave trade. His knowledge and training of the English language allowed him to grow into one of the key figures in the movement to abolish the slave trade in England. Although many scholars acknowledge his incredible talent, there has been evidence in the recent years that may question his reliability as a first-hand account. There is evidence to support that Equiano may have been born in South Carolina. This evidence does not make him a valid source of information about the slave trade and leads his audience to question his statements.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Mary Prince And Olaudah Equiano

    1365 Words  | 3 Pages

    that his conditions were much better than most slaves. “I did all I could to deserve his favour, and in return I received better treatment from him, than I believe, any other, in my situation, ever met in the West-Indies”. For a slave living in his time, Olaudah had a better quality of life than most slaves. Even when he was sick, he was cared for and allowed to rest. Because he was better fed and better treated he was mostly physically healthy, which was not the case for Mary Prince. Even when Mary was incredibly ill, she was forced to work and continued to be beaten. She was overcome by several illnesses in her life and

    Read More

  • Social Isolation In The Interesting Narrative Of The Life Of Olaudah Equiano

    1282 Words  | 3 Pages

    Olaudah Equiano in his Interesting Narrative is taken from his African home and thrown into a Western world completely foreign to him. Equiano is a slave for a total of ten years and endeavors to take on certain traits and customs of Western thinking. He takes great pains to improve himself, learn religion, and adopt Western mercantilism. However, Equiano holds on to a great deal of his African heritage. Throughout the narrative, the author keeps his African innocence and purity of intent; two qualities he finds sorely lacking in the Europeans. This compromise leaves him in a volatile middle ground between his adapted West and his native Africa. Olaudah Equiano takes on Western ideals while keeping several of his African values; this makes him a man associated with two cultures but a member of neither.

    Read More

  • Olaudah Equiano Essay

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    When it comes to slavery, it in and of itself is negative. Cruelty is everywhere; either within the trade ships, the abuse from the owners and just ‘non-slaves’ in general. There is war and battles that took place that Olaudah was forced to fight in. He witnessed men being blown up in front of him as he himself was given one of the more dangerous jobs. Being on the ship, Olaudah met people from all different countries. He found that some were fairly nice including the British and Spanish crew men, however, men like that were very few. More often than not, the authority on the ship and in the cities that Olaudah visited were vicious. The stories he shares of the slaves begging on the ships for the scraps and suffering from illness. The horror of it all heightens Olaudah’s desire to aid the fight of abolishing slavery. Whether he was the one suffering for the abuse or he was witnessing it happen; his dream of men being equal to bring themselves closer to god was bright in his

    Read More

  • No Matter How Loud I Shout

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    This quote by Edward Humes sums it up the best, “The fundamental question Juvenile Court was designed to ask - What's the best way to deal with this individual kid? - is often lost in the process, replaced by a point system that opens the door, or locks it, depending on the qualities of the crime, not the child.” (No Matter How Loud I shout, 1996, p. 325). The courts need to focus on what is best for the child and finding punishment that fits the child not the crime.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Arguements in The Life of Olaudah Equiano

    1106 Words  | 3 Pages

    "The Life of Olaudah Equiano” is a captivating story in which Equiano, the author, reflects on his life from becoming a slave to a freeman during the 19th century. Through his experiences and writing, Equiano paints a vivid picture of the atrocities and cruelties of European slavery. Ultimately through his narrative, Equiano intends to persuade his audience, the British government, to abolish the Atlantic slave trade as well as alert them of the harsh treatment of slaves. He successfully accomplishes his goal by subtly making arguments through the use of character, action, and setting.

    Read More

  • Juvenile Justice

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    The problem of dealing with juvenile justice has plagued are country for years, since the establishment of the first juvenile court in 1899. Prior to that development, delinquent juveniles had to be processed through the adult justic3e system which gave much harsher penalties. By 1945, separate juvenile courts existed in every single state. Similar to the adult system, all through most of the 20th century, the juvenile justice system was based upon a medical/rehabilitative representation. The new challenges of the juvenile court were to examine, analyze, and recommend treatment for offenders, not to deliver judgment fault or fix responsibility. The court ran under the policy of “parens patriae” that intended that the state would step in and act as a parent on behalf of a disobedient juvenile. Actions were informal and a juvenile court judge had a vast sum of discretion in the nature of juvenile cases, much like the discretion afforded judges in adult unlawful settings until the 1970s. In line with the early juvenile court’s attitude of shielding youth, juvenile offenders’ position was often in reformatories or instruction schools that were intended, in speculation, to keep them away from the terrible influences of society and to encourage self-control through accurate structure and very unsympathetic discipline. Opposing to the fundamental theory, all through the first part of the century, the places that housed juveniles were frequently unsafe and unhealthy places where the state warehoused delinquent, deserted, and deserted children for unclear periods. Ordinary tribulations included lack of medical care, therapy programs, and even sometimes food. Some very poor circumstances continue even today.

    Read More

  • Narrative Essay On Olaudah Equiano

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    During the late seventeen hundreds former slave, Olaudah Equiano, began his autobiography. In the introduction he clarifies his reason for writing the account; informing his audience that he does not seek fame and fortune and is merely a humble man who wishes to persuade the audience to promote the abolition of slavery and to articulate the horrors of enslavement. Equiano provides a voice for those who were not allowed to advocate for themselves and their rights. He aims to eradicate the idea that slaves are second class versions of a human beings that are treated as objects, diminishing their worth and personal value. Equiano pursues this goal by blending his belief of religion, slavery, and personal adventure with a complexity that appeals

    Read More

  • Olaudah Equiano

    1124 Words  | 3 Pages

    In 1745, Olaudah Equiano was born in a small village in Isseke,Nigeria. His father was one of the chiefs in the village. At age eleven Equiano and his sister were kidnapped by two men and a woman never to see his home or parents again. After being kidnapped he was hiked across part of Africa untill he arrived at the coast where he was loaded onto a slave ship. While crossing the Atlantic to Barbados onboard the slave ship he and his countrymen were subject to horrors you could hardly imagine. Equiano tells about the horrors and torture slaves face not only on the slave ship but also on plantations and many other aspects of a slave's life. Equiano experienced almost all parts of a slave's existence. He was a slave throughout Africa, England, and the New World. Equiano is bought and sold several times. Religion also played a huge role in Equiano's life and I think that it helped him get through some really hard times. He is bought by a British Naval officer and serves in the British Navy during the Seven Years' War. He is then sold to Robert King where he begins trading goods between islands and eventually makes enough money to buy his freedom. Equiano tells of the joy he feels when he becomes a free man. The rest of his life is devoted to helping slaves and to the cause of abolishing slavery.

    Read More

  • Juvenile Recidivism

    3195 Words  | 7 Pages

    Introduction: Recidivism or, habitual relapses into crime, has time and time again proven to be an issue among delinquents, which thereby increases the overall juvenile prison population. This issue has become more prevalent than what we realize. Unless a unit for measuring a juvenile’s risk of recidivism is enacted and used to determine a system to promote effective prevention, than the juvenile prison population will continue to increase. Our court system should not only focus on punishing the said juvenile but also enforce a program or policy that will allow for prevention of recidivism. So the question remains, how can recidivism in the juvenile prison population be prevented so that it is no longer the central cause for increased juvenile delinquency? Simply put, we must create a means of measuring juvenile’s level of risk and in turn, form an effective rehabilitation program that will decrease their risk level for future recidivism.

    Read More

  • Olaudah Equiano: A Memoir of African Enslavement

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    “As I stare through the floor of an unknown vessel into an everlasting sea of clouds I ponder on what I had did to be in this situation or would I ever reunite with my family or will the gentleman beside me make it through the night.” The realization that slavery caused many families, lives, and individuals to be destroyed is gruesome. Through the memoir of Olaudah Equiano, the first-person accounts of the treatment of enslaved and free Africans is revealed, which helps him in the battle against African enslavement.

    Read More

  • Female Delinquency

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    Delinquency in and of itself has been observed, studied, sifted, put into one form of statistical data or another and published for years. The question of “should girls’ delinquency be studied separately from boys’ delinquency?” can only be answered with an answer of yes. Data from every aspect of delinquency should be studied whether it be age, race, type of crime, along with gender. Without viewing all aspects of delinquency in regards to gender, any conclusions found would be biased, possibly leading to the enforcement of inappropriate laws and or treatments.

    Read More

  • Essay On Juvenile Offender

    1913 Words  | 4 Pages

    Crime is often associated with a very particular cliché, as it seems to be committed in the heart of impoverished minority communities. However, we can see this is not the reality of the situation as crime can be seen across all demographics, even amongst juveniles. Age and sex, rather than class and race better represent the distinction between a criminal and noncriminal. (Agnew 2012). Defined differently according to the state, a juvenile is an individual who is under the age of 16 or 17 years old and therefore when a minor violates criminal law they are labeled a juvenile delinquent. There are many social institutions such as media that play into the production and reproduction of criminality and what it means to be a juvenile offender. However, these stereotypes are frequently misleading as they paint a very different image without a clear understanding, “for example, girls accounted for 21 percent of simple assault arrests in 1980 versus 34 percent in 2008. Steffensmeier et al. note that such arrest data have led some researchers and people in the news media to conclude that girls really are becoming more violent.” (Agnew 2012: 80). This paper will look at female juvenile offending, as there are differences when compared to their male counterpart, while assessing explanations as to why there is a difference. While, also looking into the juvenile justice system and its role in the treatment of female juvenile offenders. Concluding with what can be done and what are some protective factors for at risk girls. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the difference gender makes in violent juvenile offending.

    Read More

More about Juvenile Crimes

Open Document