construction of delinquency

Question 1

views of delinquency that have stayed the same

Answer 1

• juveniles commit a disproportionate amount of crime
• juveniles are 7-8% of the pop. but account for 15% of index crime arrests
• juveniles are forced to obey special laws (status offenses) can be arrested and even imprisoned for commuting these offenses
• tend to receive more lenient punishment than adults
• myth of the good old days
• blaming of juvenile justice policies for “increasing” juvenile crime

Question 2

status offenses and how to handle them

Answer 2

• special laws that only juveniles must obey
• legalization v decriminalization
• deinstitutionalization- process through juveniles court, but do not incarcerate

Question 3

myth of the good old days

Answer 3

• every generation has denounced the rising generation as inferior in terms of morals ethics, and honesty
• misconception that juvenile crime is more frequent or more severe today than in the past

Question 4

the cycle of juvenile justice

Answer 4

• the combination of thinking juvenile crime is uniquely high/serious, and blaming the juvenile justice system to this rise
• begin with a lenient system and belief juvenile crime is high because not “tough enough”- change the system to be “tough on crime”- belief that we are too tough on crime and that is causing crime to increase- change system back to lenient

Question 5

how did the term juvenile delinquency come about

Answer 5

• coincided with the changing view of childhood that accompanied the industrial revolution, as well as the progressive thinking of the time
  1) breakdown in traditional controls- as lifestyle changed, children spent more time socializing on street with no adult supervision
  2) industrialization changed the nature of crime- higher volume of moveable goods lead to increased theft (juveniles commit a disproportionate amnt. of property crime
  3) urbanization changed routine activities of youth- more opportunities to associate with similarly aged peers, densely inhabited homes caused children to run away- would steal to survive and live on the street

Question 6

How did the introduction of “adolescence” help lead to the development of “juvenile delinquency”

Answer 6

intro of adolescence as a stage in the life course coupled with changing views of childhood prompted the courts to recognize that different laws were needed for these juvenile delinquents