Lecture 3: Societal Response to Youth Crime Flashcards
The debate of children going wayward is a modern phenomenon. True or false?
False, the notion of the “good old days” is a myth.
Myth of the “Good Old Days”
The idea that children were not a problem in the past, but are increasingly going wayward.
Why would people propagate the myth go the “Good Old Days?”
Because romanticization of the past has a feel good effect.
In the very beginning, youth were not giving any lenient treatment when it came to justice. True or false?
True.
What are some ways in which youth were punished in the very beginning?
In spectacular ways to make a statement. Spectacle had to be made, and young offenders were not excluded from the harsh environment of the treatment of criminals.
What was the distinction that was made between adult and young offenders in the beginning of youth justice?
There was no distinction.
In the very beginning, youth justice focused mostly on which group?
Boys.
“Boy Problem”
The idea that young boys were problematic when it came to criminality, and it warranted a severe response.
Conceptions of ___ and ___ contributed to the “Boy Problem.”
Masculinity, femininity.
The idea of “youth” and “childhood” are very old concepts, dating back to the very early years of human existence. True or false?
False, they are fairly recent constructions.
Originally, the discourse of juvenile delinquency considered children as “___ ___” who learned and took on adult roles.
Little adults.
When did the idea of juvenile delinquency materialize?
When childhood was recognized as a distinct stage of development.
Why was there originally an indifference to children?
Because of high mortality rates. People tended to disengage themselves emotionally from their kids.
The chances of children dying off in today’s society are relatively ___.
Low.
Recognition of juvenile delinquency was influenced by the social change in the…
Late 19th Century.
What change came about in the late 19th Century?
Children were recognized as distinct social stages that individuals went through. Correlated with specific chronological ages, and we comet expect a certain level of behaviour from them.
Social Reformers
Mainly upper-middle class business, political, and male elites.
Social Reformers were mainly what religion?
Protestant.
What did the Social Reformers do?
- Questioned the use of a generalized system.
- Argued that juvenile offenders should be treated differently using to a distinct set of laws.
- Encouraged informal governance: church discipline, shaming, and other community strategies.
In informal governance, do you put youth through the court system?
No, rather you use measures such as church discipline, shaming, and other community strategies.
Objectivist Perspective on Youth Crime
Youth crime constitutes ap problem and actual danger to society.
Social Constructionist Perspective on Youth Crime
Youth crime becomes a problem when it is defined as such.
Which perspective would argue that there is a palatable thing that constitutes youth crime, and that it is a real phenomenon?
Objectivist Perspective.
Symbolic Interactionist theories on youth crime would subscribe to which perspective on youth crime?
Social Constructionist,