Why Youth Commit Crime Essay

In our country, youth ages 17 and under are classified as juveniles because they “are under an age fixed by law (as 18 years) at which they would be charged as adults for a criminal act” (Merriam-Webster online dictionary, n.d.). These acts may be illegal or they may be deviant. Many teens encounter many obstacles in life while growing up, which causes them to get in trouble with the law. In particular, peer pressure from friends is very challenging for youths to deal with and they end up doing drugs, drinking alcohol, stealing, and more. Psychologists and psychiatrists have formulated many theories to explain these issues. In addition, they have created programs to help young people in trouble.

Edwin Sutherland, a sociologist and professor, developed the theory of differential association theory in 1939 (Dobrow, 2015). His theory has four parts, which try to explain why youth commit crimes. First, criminal behavior is learned through association and no one is born to commit crime. The individual has to learn how to commit the criminal act. Second, Sutherland stated youth are influenced by the groups they associate with and these associates affect their decision-making. Third, he says criminal behavior is learned through association with people through communication. Criminals learn about deviant

This type of crime is usually committed by executives who are stockbrokers, bankers, etc. who have access to rich people’s money or investments or other assets. However, juveniles can commit white collar crime when they steal someone’s debit cards and withdraw funds from their checking account. When juveniles steal someone’s identity that is a form of white collar crime. While there are cases when juveniles do commit either of these acts, there is more of a chance they will commit violent or domestic