M I D T E R M Flashcards
Where and when was the first juvenile court system established?
1899, Cook County, Illinois
Chicago
How many children under 18 are there in the US?
Approx. 75 Million
37% of the population
Talk about how the media affects young adults
“PEEL BACK THE ONION”
Comic books in the 50’s
Rap music, violent video games, negative imagery
Ego Identity
Having a firm sense of knowing who you are and what you stand for
Role Diffusion
People spread themselves too thin and experience personal uncertainty
Often place themselves at the mercy of others
At-risk student
Youth who are vulnreable to the negative consequences of school failure, substance abuse, and early sex
(drug use, alcohol, sexuality)
What percent of the population under 17 are at risk?
Approx 25%
Five Main Problems for American Youth
“People hunger inside for salad”
Poverty Health Inadequate Education Family Problems Substandard Living Conditions
Poverty Stats
37 Million people are classified as poor, 1/3rd of those are children
Health coverage
10% of children do not have health coverage
Health opportunities
Glasses example
Treating learning disorders early
Family issues
Divorce affects about half of new families
Substandard living conditions
A child’s environment drastically affects their behavior
Apartment settings, bad neighborhoods
At risk for drive-bys, addiciton, STD’s
Inadequate education
Poor schools everywhere
No education, no one to guide them and to have them MAKE GOOD CHOICES
Paternalistic families
Father had control of the house
Children were not children, and often treated as adults
“Children were seen and not heard”
Gender divide in paternalistic families
Boys were educated, girls were desecrated
Parens Patriae
Power of the state to act on the behalf of the child to provide care and protection equivalent to that of a parent
Society for the Prevention of Pauperism
Movement that protected children from adult environments, such as taverns, parlors, etc.
Eventually known as the Child Savers
House of Refuge
Facility developed by the Child Savers to protect potential criminal youths and take them off of the street
Developed in 1825 - NYC
Juvenile Court Act
1899
Established juvenile courts that created separate programs for children, as well as treat children entirely differently than that of adults.
Parens patriae and the system
Delinquent vs. Criminal
State needs to act in the best interest of the child.
Treatment, not punishment
Age of Majority
Age where a child is treated as an adult. (18 in MD)
Status offense
Conduct that is illegal because of the person’s age
drinking, truancy, running away, etc
Waiver / Bindover / Automatic Adult Jurisdiction
Waiving cases over to the adult system.
Certain offenses are automatically handed in adult court as opposed to child court
(1st deg murder, 1st deg assault, etc)
Uniform Crime Report
Published data from police departments
Divided into Part I and Part II Crimes
What are the three ways that crimes are reported?
UCR
Victimization Surveys
Self Reports
Part I
Part I (Index Crimes) Homicide, Rape, Robbery, Assault, Burglary, Larceny, Arson, Motor Theft
Part II
All crimes that are not part I
How does the UCR Work?
of reported crimes, crime rates per 100k, change in # over time
Problems with the UCR
<1/2 of all victims report crimes.
Only the most serious offense is counted for an arrest.
Self Reports
1on1 Interviews, mass distribution of anonymous questionaires
Dark Figure of Crime
Crimes that have never been reported
Victimization Survey
NCVS (National Crime and Victimization Survey)
Victims and their “criminals”
People of all age groups identify their attackers as teens.
Often intra-racial.
Victimization is most likely to occur during the day.
Example trends of crime rates
Age, economy, social issues, abortion, guns, gangs, drug use, etc.
Crimes and Time
Delinquent acts occur in the summer of July and August
Crime and Space
Western and Southern states have higher rates of delinquency
Male gender and crime
Males are more delinquent and commit more violent crimes, 4:1
Female gender and crime
Girls are more likely to run away
Institutional Racism
Treatment of a race by police and courts
Racial threat theory
As AA population increases, the perceived threat to EA increases, leading to social control on AA Youth
Racial profiling
Routinely searching AA Youth
Class and delinquency
Youth will use criminal means to achieve their goals.
Middle Class
Generally crimes are less serious
Lower Class
More serious delinquency and moreso having to deal with racial bias, social organization
Age proportionality
Age is INVERSELY related to criminality
Age of Onset
beginning point in delinquent career
Aging Out
Growing older, maturing, responsibility, changing personalities
Chronic offender
Young onset age, 6+ offenses, may be violent and destructive
6% of youth are:
Chronic offenders
Choice Theory
Offenders make the rational decision to engage in delinquent behavior. Their actions will be beneficial to them
Trait Theory
Delinquent acts are the product of personal problems and conditions
Grandfathers of Choice Theory
Cessare Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham
The Rational Delinquent
Breaking the law is a choice.
Choice Theory is about the act, not the offender
Pain v. Gain
Routine Activities Theory
Crime is a normal function of routine activities. Offenses can be expected if there is a motivated offender and suitable target
casual crime, yknow?
General Deterrence
Threat of punishment to deter delinquency
Co-offending
Crimes committed in groups
Specific Deterrence
Punish them so severely that they’ll never do anything illegal again.
Situational Crime Prevention
Increase the effort (make it harder) Increase the risks (is the d-air really worth it) Reduce the rewards (combos with floaties) Increasing the shame (DISRESPECC)
Cesare Lombroso
Father of Criminology
Developed theory of criminal atavism
Trait Theory
Behavioral choices are a function of one’s mental / physical makeup
Sociobiology
Behavior will adapt in the environment of which it evolved
Abnormal body chemistry
Excessive iron, lead poisoning
Diet
Diet and aggression correlations
Hormonal functions
Antisocial behavior peaks during teen years. Periods and crime
Neurological dysfunction
Brain injuries affect students later in life, as well as physical abuse, sexual abuse, and learning disabilities
Parental deviance
Children of deviant parents will learn that criminal behavior is okay.
Twin studies
Criminal activity between identical and fraternal twins (60%, 30%)
Adoption studies
Adopted children of deviant parents share many traits of their biological parents
Sigmund Freud
Id is unrestrained
Ego develops through the reality of the world
Superego represents the conscience and morality
If one becomes dominant, individual will experience abnormality
Oppositional Defiant Disorder
Experience defiant hostile behavior towards authority
Conduct Disorder
Difficulty following rules and behaving in a socially acceptable manner
Interpersonal relationships
Peers, school, work, etc
Community Ecology
Living in poverty, decay, etc affects the likelihood of crime. Fear can motivate people to commit crimes
Social Change and crime
Political unrest, economic stress, family dysfunction
Freddy Gray
Socioeconomics
People on the lowest rung of the ladder have the highest incentive to commit crime
Racial disparity
Poverty rates among minority groups are still double that of EAs
How are social theories grouped?
Structure, process, and critical theories
Social structure
Delinquency is a function of a person’s place in the economy.
Social Process
Delinquency is a result of interaction with critical elements of socialization.
Critical theories
Delinquency is a result of economic deprivations caused by inequities in the system
Culture of Poverty
1966, Oscar Lewis created the term to describe the burden faced by the urban poor
Culture marked by apathy, cynicism, helplessness, mistrust
Permanent underclass
Members of society with little chance of upward mobility
Cultural transmission
Behaviors are passed down from one generation to another
“Don’t snitch to authority”
Anomie / Strain
Disorganized area residents will feel hopeless and eventually angry
Robert Merton (Strain Theory)
Without means of success, people turn to crime to achieve their goals
Robert Agnew (General Strain)
strain is caused by: failure to achieve + goals, removal of + stimuli, and the presentation of - stimuli
Cultural deviance
Delinquency is a result to a youth’s desire to conform to lower class values
Joining gangs, disrespect, etc
Social Process
Delinquency can be traced to learning delinquent attitudes from peers in their realm of influence
Parental Efficacy
Supportive parents lead to positive youth.
Inadequate parents lead to negative youth.
Start’em young. Start’em strong.
Social Learning
Delinquency is learned through the interaction with others
Social Control
Life weakens the attachemtn a child has to peers, school, and society
Social Reaction
Society’s reaction determines one’s behavior
Differential Association
Youth will become delinquent if definitions they learn are favorable to violating the law
Travis Hirschi’s Social Control
Attachment, Commitment, Involvement, Belief
Label theory
Once someone is labeled as a delinquent, they are more likely to continue their delinquent behavior
Critical Theory Influx
Society is in a constant state of internal conflict. Those with money and power will succeed in meeting their needs
