...Literature Review Family Structural Changes and Juvenile Delinquency To develop a well-formulated theory on family structural changes playing an impact on juvenile delinquency, it is imperative to discern what other information exists surrounding the topic. There are multiple sources that seek to determine what factors influence kids/teens to turn into delinquents, from either a stable, loving home or a place filled with toxic disasters. This study is focused on analyzing how these various factors within a family within a family impact a child's likelihood of experiencing juvenile delinquency, but more specifically how family changes are a factor. My proposed research studies the question by studying individuals, making persons my phenomena. Using the existing studies as a basis of knowledge will provide the framework for a new theory involving the significance of family structural changes. One of the major functions of the family is to protect, teach, and train children so that they become competent, productive adults and if that job is not done properly, then it can be assumed that the family has failed to do its job (Kunz, 2001b). Variable: DIVORCE We first have to look into whether juvenile delinquency is related to divorce. Cynthia Price and Jenifer Kunz created a meta-analysis, involving 72 studies where meta-analysis is the quantitative statistical analysis of several separate but similar experiments or studies in order to test the pooled data for statistical significance...
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...cockfights and its violent influence towards the people who were watching. The similar issue is concerning our society in the 21sth century. The only difference is that the cockfights were replaced with media violence. This has been a raising concept since the invention of television and introduction of the video games. This essay will discuss the validity of the claim that media violence causes aggressive behavior on the juvenile audience. The paper will firstly show the correlation studies and experimental studies about media violence and its influence on children. It will then move to other reasons which causes the aggressive behavior. Finally, this essay will also examine the influence of aggressive video games on players. Children found a new environment of amusement after the television came on the scene. They were exposed to large number of new programs. Even if there was a potential peril to juveniles, people were not aware of what sorts of programs or what quantities of it were dangerous. At that time there was not enough proof that violence programs was the cause of aggression (Carter& Strickland, 1993). Thus, the researchers began to conduct various kinds of research and studies to prove the correlation between the media violence and the aggressive behavior among juveniles. The early correlations studies found that there were some differences between the viewers and non viewer’s outlook. Those differences did not exist before the television was introduced to the market...
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...Costanza and Ronald Helms. "Street Gangs and Aggregate Homicides: An Analysis of Effects During the 1990s Violent Crime Peak" Homicide Studies 16(3): 280-307. June 11, 2012. Online. June 12, 2013. City-level violence escalated and peaked during the 1990’s, which possibly caused a similarly high homicide rate. Many studies have linked gang activity with higher rates of violent crimes. This study uses empirical research to link gang violence with homicide rates. A majority of studies only looked at the micro level of gang attribute violence and homicide correlation. Costanza focused on the macro level using 154 U.S. cities to determine if active gangs directly correlated with homicide rates. Criminologist in the 1990’s paid special attention to the structural factors contributing to the all-time peak of violence in the young men demographic. Researchers have remained focused on the patterns of homicide within the context of the violence peak in the 90’s. Costanza chose to “focus explicitly on the plausible empirical link between street gangs and homicide offending in central cities throughout the Unites States”. The factors that lead to an increase in homicide include the drug market, guns, and gang presence. Recent studies have shown that it is a combination of factors, as opposed to just financial opportunity, that lead to gang membership. The reason for the lack of macro level studies of gang violence has been due to the lack of gang related studies. Maxson in 1992, published...
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...| Juvenile Justice | | | Paul Eyster | 4/3/2013 | Prof. Bidwell | Though crime, in general, is on the decline there are specific crimes and group offenders that are actually increasing. Specific crimes such as hate crimes, those crimes motivated by hostility to the victim as a member of a group, based on color, creed, gender, or sexual orientation, and juvenile crimes have become escalating debates. Lionel Tate, a 12-year-old boy at the time of his actions, is a suitable case to investigate. Using his case, I will address the increase in juvenile delinquency, the contributions to the malice acts, the severity of the crimes being committed by youth, and possible, yet reasonable repercussions. Lionel Tate, now 14, was charged with first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without parole on March 9, 2001. This harsh conviction was founded on the basis of the beating and death of 6-year-old Tiffany Eunick. Tate defense lied in the hands of his television heroes, professional wrestlers, whom he claimed he was simply imitating. This argument was not enough to convince the jurors that his actions were an accident. If a defense team was not able to convince a select group of individual that violence on television is becoming more of an issue with youth violence, then how is a nation of parents going to be convinced that television, video games and other public violence is affecting their children. Is every parent going to have to experience what Lionel...
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...Race, Crime, and Juvenile Justice. Ronita D. Hemingway CRJC 352 Special Problems in Criminal Justice Professor Lori Guevera July 7, 2014 The most important emerging research or policy issue related to the study of race, crime, and juvenile justice system is the appropriate actions in the handling of juveniles. Since the start of the juvenile court in 1899, programs and policies have been implemented. Even with the policies and programs that were implemented to deter juveniles, juvenile crimes are still major social issues within our society. As some research has pointed out, kids who display delinquent juvenile behavior early in their youth stages are at a greater risk of offending within their adolescent years. When it comes to race, crime, and the juvenile justice, violence, substance abuse, and mental health are the three main issues that should be focused upon on when dealing with male and female delinquents. Individualized rehabilitation treatment was a highly recognized policy and practice during the 1970s and 1980s. This model focused on the placement of juveniles, who offended, to be placed in a setting that is community-based and less/non-secure. In 1960, the rights of juveniles had rose, which included due process. Due process gave juveniles the right to counsel and their protection against self-incrimination, in which juvenile courts started performing in the same manner as adult courts. Other form of policies and practices that were in effect during the 1960s...
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...Video Games and Juvenile Delinquency The connection between video games and increased youth delinquency is debatable (“Violent video,” 2013). Social science has definitively settled some of the questions. Cumulative evidence gathered from numerous academic studies makes one side of the argument persuasive (Regoli, Hewitt, &DeLisi, 2011). The relation between increased violence and video games is an example of contested academic terrain. Recent research demonstrates the existence of a strong link between video games and youth violence (KimHun-Soo& KimHyun-Sil, 2008). The connection between video games and the real world violence is obvious. Apparently, the media seems to furnish new evidence relating to the same issue. For example, the perpetrator of Norway’s masskillings confessed to having watched a shooting game before committing the crime (Regoli et al., 2011). Playing video games has a direct link to aggressive and violent acts among young adults. Extensive literature in psychology shows increased propensity to violent acts after playing video games (“Violent video,” 2013). The findings relate to an increase in delinquency and violence among the youths. Indeed, exposure to violent video games is directly proportional to aggression and antisocial behaviour. Domain-specific theories on aggression and delinquency explain the relationship between video games and antisocial behaviour (Regoli et al., 2011). General Aggression Model, a comprehensive meta-theory...
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...punishment was a rather harsh judgment many in the community argue against today. Instead of incarcerating him for life, what other options are available? As teen violence continues to plague the nation, many people wonder if rehabilitation is an effective method for deterring future occurrences. Twelve-year old Lionel Tate took the life of a young girl named Tiffany Eunick. Lionel’s mother, a Florida Highway Patrol officer, was sleeping upstairs though she was responsible for babysitting Tiffany. The mother left the children watching television and playing together downstairs unattended. During horse play, Lionel begins to re-enact moves he saw watching wrestling. The 160-pound boy was responsible for cuts, bruises, fractured skull, lacerated liver, broken ribs and internal hemorrhaging on young Tiffany Eunick. Certainly the parents of the deceased child will want to see justice served for the loss of their loved one. Stories surface daily about a teen committing some sort of crime. A heart wrenching reality that many people will either themselves face, or know someone who has or will experience. The epidemic of teen violence is rapidly increasing; Statistics say youth under the age of 18 were arrested for nearly 1561 homicides in 2000 (Fox, Zawitz 2002). Controversies regarding if the courts should try a juvenile as an adult have become a widely held topic. Many people believe that age should not be a factor as long as the crime is heinous enough. On the other hand, others...
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...Running head: CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 1 The Correlation Between Child Maltreatment & Juvenile Delinquency April 6, 2014 CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 2 Abstract Research suggests that there is a correlation between child maltreatment and juvenile delinquency. The findings indicate that children, who have experienced abuse or neglect during childhood, are at increased risk of committing crimes in adolescence. A substantial number of children enter the juvenile justice system with a history of abuse, with approximately one third of these adolescence are actively associated with a child welfare agency at the time of their initial arrest. This paper attempts to establish a clear definition of physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as, neglect, while also reviewing a pattern of subsequent delinquency. The effects of racial, ethnic and gender differences in criminal behavior will be explored. A collaborated effort among youth serving agencies is discussed as a method of prevention of child maltreatment and future delinquency. CHILD MALTREATMENT & JUVENILE DELINQUENCY 3 Juvenile delinquency is a serious public health concern. Throughout literature, child and adolescent maltreatment are consistently identified as powerful predictors of juvenile and adult crime. In 2009, law enforcement agencies arrested approximately 1.9 million persons under the age of 18 “ (Ryan, Williams, & Courtney, 2013, p.454)...
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...Juvenile Justice System Ruben Lopez, University of Phoenix CJA/204 – INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE ON13BCJ05 Judge Michael Sachs July 28, 2013 Juvenile Justice System In the middle ages, children were treated as adults and received the same punishment as adults, whether it be public shaming, corporal punishment or confinement. In our country, the early American Puritans changed the way children were viewed because they believed that children could not reason the same as adults, so they did not want to hold them to the same standards ("CJi Interactive", 2011). With the Puritans view of children and not holding them to the same standards as adults, it started the juvenile justice system in our country. This was the first step that lead to what the system is today. Delinquency and Status Offenses According to Schmalleger (2011), he defines delinquency as, “juvenile actions or conduct in violation of criminal law, juvenile status offenses, and other juvenile misbehavior.” and defines status offense as “An act or conduct that is declared by statute to be an offense, but only when committed by or engaged in by a juvenile, and that can be adjudicated only by a juvenile court.” (p. 543 and 547). The difference between children who are delinquents and those who are status offenders is the laws that are being violated. Delinquent children violate laws that are criminal and if they were adults, they would be labeled as criminals. Status offenders are children who...
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...Obviously something is going on in today’s society if more and more children are committing delinquent crimes. Sometimes a researcher has to get to what he or she thinks is the root of the problem to figure out what spawns a certain issue. What provokes a child to become delinquent and what makes the child gravitate so easily towards this lifestyle? It is necessary to explore how family life influences juvenile delinquency. Juveniles are more likely to become juvenile delinquents if there is little structure provided for them in their families. Children who are rejected by their parents, who grow up in homes with considerable conflict, or who are inadequately supervised are at the greatest risk of becoming delinquent. Literature reviews, focused on the relationship between child abuse and juvenile delinquency, indicate that juvenile delinquents are often products of families that consciously or unconsciously neglect their childhood needs. Corporal punishment by parents often leads to overt and aggressive misbehavior. Neglect and extreme punishment can cause children to become rebellious adolescents who use misbehavior to "pay back" the family. Childhood abuse and neglect has been linked to a number of other adolescent problems. Compared with non maltreated matched control groups, abused or neglected children are significantly more likely to engage in violent behavior, become pregnant during adolescence, use drugs, have lower GPAs, and/or experience mental health problems...
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...Chapter 7. DELINQUENCY Juvenile among young people, as they negotiate the transition from childhood to adulthood in an increasingly complex and confusing world, is the issue that this chapter first examines. Some basic assumptions relating to delinquent behaviour are presented, followed by a description of the various factors underlying or contributing to this phenomenon. Some regional variations are highlighted. Effective approaches and measures for preventing juvenile delinquency are detailed, with particular attention given to the development of educational, professional development and community programmes, improvements in family relations and parenting skills, and the value of restorative justice for both perpetrators and victims. The chapter concludes with a summary and recommendations for future action. Delinquent and criminal behaviour For many young people today, traditional patterns guiding the relationships and transitions between family, school and work are being challenged. Social relations that ensure a smooth process of socialization are collapsing; lifestyle trajectories are becoming more varied and less predictable. The restructuring of the labour market, the extension of the maturity gap (the period of dependence of young adults on the family) and, arguably, the more limited opportunities to become an independent adult are all changes influencing relationships with family and friends, educational opportunities and choices, labour market participation...
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...Chapter 7. DELINQUENCY Juvenile among young people, as they negotiate the transition from childhood to adulthood in an increasingly complex and confusing world, is the issue that this chapter first examines. Some basic assumptions relating to delinquent behaviour are presented, followed by a description of the various factors underlying or contributing to this phenomenon. Some regional variations are highlighted. Effective approaches and measures for preventing juvenile delinquency are detailed, with particular attention given to the development of educational, professional development and community programmes, improvements in family relations and parenting skills, and the value of restorative justice for both perpetrators and victims. The chapter concludes with a summary and recommendations for future action. Delinquent and criminal behaviour For many young people today, traditional patterns guiding the relationships and transitions between family, school and work are being challenged. Social relations that ensure a smooth process of socialization are collapsing; lifestyle trajectories are becoming more varied and less predictable. The restructuring of the labour market, the extension of the maturity gap (the period of dependence of young adults on the family) and, arguably, the more limited opportunities to become an independent adult are all changes influencing relationships with family and friends, educational opportunities and choices, labour market participation, leisure...
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...One of the most complex and sensitive issues involving the justice system is the situation involving violent juvenile crime. Juvenile crime is defined in the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “conduct by a juvenile characterized by antisocial behavior that is beyond parental control and therefore subject to legal action”. A violent juvenile crime would be considered conduct that also harms oneself or harms the people around them. While these acts are heinous and hurt not only themselves and others, we debate on how to solve the problem. While some lay blame to the juveniles themselves, other see the environment and culture to blame. This paper will be discussing nature and extent of violent delinquency, finding the underline causes of it and finally proposes a practical solution to the problem. To do...
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...within different demo-graphs are high risk to be involved with these activities and in most cases dire outcomes. Numerous cases of theft, violence, and general delinquency are becoming top tier phenomenon’s, as general delinquency mode of operation for this adolescent generation. As we make an analysis of this ordeal as a whole, one would find that there are many factors that can be said to be the common denominator in its contribution to so many misguided children and young adults. We are moving out an age where child and parental communication is being hindered as the general family structures of todays home are growing into a state of total degeneracy. Many children and teens often grow up in single parent homes and are exposed to inconsistencies in discipline, physical, verbal and substance substance abuse only to go to a school to interact with a social group that thrives in these themes in a more concentrated manner. Interestingly enough, the effect of these causes tends to end in outcomes that can’t be redeemed lightly from as many kids, undergo long-term sentences in juvenile detention. Other obstacles such as teens and young adults being killed in violence are tried as adults, thus losing their lives and chances for redemption. Fortunately there has been a new procedure being implemented as many at risk kids are being put into juvenile detention center for a short term, as an attempt to scare them straight and apply correct disciplinary acts in order for those misguided...
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...The Effects of Family Structure and Values on Juvenile Delinquency Christina M. Bracey 201240 Fall 2012 CJUS 230-B02 LUO Professor DeBoer Liberty University Online October 12, 2012 Abstract The changes in family values and structure in the United States has helped contribute to juvenile delinquency today. Society needs to recognize problems within the home before trying to find solutions to problems for todays at risk youth in America. Major structural changes inside of the home could adversely affect the raising of juveniles leading to delinquency. Some of the issues I will discuss in my paper are divorce, child abuse, mothers working outside of the home, and single-parent homes. Ineffectively raising a child can cause low self-control and low self-esteem while increasing the risks of delinquency as well. I will argue that with proper supervision, counseling, and monitoring of the behavior of the juvenile, it is possible that society can help eliminate some of the crimes committed by juvenile delinquents. Thesis The changes in family values and structure in the United States has helped contribute to juvenile delinquency today Introduction Family Structure has changed noticeably in the United States over the past several decades. It refers to various family characteristics that affect relationships and how families function. These characteristics include family size, family disruption, and birth order. High rates of divorce, single-parent housing, the...
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