Youth in the criminal justice System Chapter 12 Flashcards
What are some risk factors that could contribute to a young person committing crime?
Socioeconomic factors
Family environment
Lack of positive opportunities
Peer influence
Substance abuse
Lack of education
Mental health concerns
What are some protective factors that decrease the likelihood that a youth will engage in crime?
Strong family support
Positive peer relationships
Access to quality education
Positive role models
Community involvement
Life skills development
Access to mental health supports
What’s the percentage of people reported engaging in one or more delinquent behaviors (acts of violence, acts against property, sale of drugs).
Boys (30%) are twice as likely as girls (15%) to engage in violent behavior; boys slightly more likely to commit acts against property (30% vs. 26%).
Most Common Types of Youth Crime
Theft (18,002 cases), Common Assault (12,434), Administration of Justice (11,363), Drug Possession (10,211), Mischief (10,036).
These top 5 categories account for approximately 60% of all youth crimes reported to police.
What do you think is contributing to the decreasing rates of youth crimes?
Under the YCJA, police, Crown, and judges are encouraged to find an alternative to charging a youth offender (talk to parents, give a warning, participate in program, etc)
Youth are becoming more active on social media – less active in the outside world
Perhaps, prevention efforts targeted towards at-risk youth are effective?
More services and programs than there were previously
More forms of surveillance (CCTV, alarms, social media)
Person-Based Predictive Policing
attempts to identify individuals or groups who are likely to commit a crime — or to be victim of one — by analyzing for risk factors such as past arrests or victimization patterns
Place-Based Predictive Policing
typically uses pre-existing crime data to identify places and times that have a high risk of crime
Youth gangs typically consist of?
self-identify as a group (e.g. have a group name)
are generally perceived by others as a distinct group
are involved in a significant number of delinquent incidents that produce consistent negative responses from the community and/or law enforcement agencies
What is Predictive Policing?
Predictive policing uses computer systems to analyze large sets of data, including historical crime data.
Helps inform decision-making on where to deploy police or to identify individuals who are more likely to commit or be a victim of a crime
Why do youth join gangs?
Parental neglect
Lack of positive supports
Gang involved family members
Living on streets increases risk
No clear plans for future
Respect
Money
Protection
Status
No fear of legal consequences
Sense of belonging and identity
Peer pressure
Poverty
Desire for thrill-seeking and excitement
Hedonism
Glamourized by media
