Delinquency
- Case 1
The choice theory critics are that not all delinquent offenders make rational choices when planning for criminal acts. Some people commit crimes out of desperation since they have no alternative than to commit that crime. Some delinquent offenders commit crimes due to personality disorders, which impair their judgment making it hard for them to make rational decisions (Siegel & Welsh, 2018). Emotional suffering in chronic offenders makes them not fear punishment, and they less appreciate the consequences of that crime. It is also challenging to explain irrational crimes because if the crime was not rational and planned, then giving the reason behind the crime is difficult.
The genetic perspective argues that most delinquent offenders commit crimes due to genes inherited from their parents and holds that antisocial behaviors are linked to a genetic abnormality. The genetic perspective critics are that there is no connection between genes and delinquency as the social environment may also shape the behavior. The external environment shapes the biological processes, and people adapt and function in the existing social conditions.
The mental disorder theory holds that delinquency is linked to mental disorders, which halts youth from applauding victims’ feelings and makes them incapable of controlling the urge for gratification. The theory is criticized as other intervening factors rather than mental disorders can cause delinquency; for instance, poor school performance due to psychological problems may cause delinquency. For instance, illusions can cause a police officer to arrest someone who is mentally ill in the street, owing to that they are prone to committing a crime.
The intelligence theory holds that delinquency can be identified by measuring intelligence and argues that less intelligent individuals can be potential delinquents. The nature theory argues that intelligence cannot be inherited and is not a must that parents with low IQ can produce children with low IQ. Nature theory does not agree with the notion that people commit crime due to low IQ and argue that delinquency results from environmental conditions that influence the level of IQ.
- Case 2
The social structure theory holds that poverty is linked with delinquency. Lewis held that people living in poverty experience helplessness, apathy and it would be difficult for the government institutions to trust them, denying them the advantage of benefiting from opportunities available. In turn, the skepticism results in an underclass setting where the members have little or no access to development. People living in poverty are prone to depression and may suffer from low esteem. Poverty makes it difficult for parents to provide adequate care to their children, and as a result, the children are prone to forming gangs in their neighborhood and expose them to delinquency. The social structure theory holds that the delinquency rate is linked to socioeconomic conditions and culture.
The community fears concept holds that where people in the neighborhood help each other, the delinquency level is low as people will fear not to commit a crime. When the community people don’t help each other, the possibility of delinquency crimes is very high.
The collective efficacy concept holds that insufficient or lack of social cohesion will lead to an increased delinquency rate. In contrast, areas that communities are more cohesive, people will have a good view of one another, and social integration is high delinquency is low.
The social process theory argues that the difference in a social setting in terms of classes is not necessarily the cause of increased delinquency. The theory held that learning delinquent attitudes from other peers, dropping out of school, or domestic violence can cause delinquency. The theory argues that the process of socialization determines behavior. Positive socialization will lead to low or no delinquency, whereas children’s negative socialization in early life will lead to increased delinquency.
Social labeling holds that the reaction of society towards individuals and how individuals react in return determines those particular individuals’ behavior. Stigmatization through the process of socio control leads to or sustain delinquency. If behavior is detected and punished, the result can negatively label and significantly impact that particular individual throughout their lives.
The critical theory holds that society is subject to internal conflicts in such a way that those people who have power over others use the justice systems to enhance their status at the expense of those who don’t have power. Capitalism subjects workers to low wages. The juvenile court was established as a result of class consciousness.
- Case 3
The development theories’ main focus was to identify the source, the prevalence, and how to combat delinquency. The development theory tries to examine the reason behind some kind involving in delinquency crimes and why they later in life change from that kind of life. The development theory also tries to examine why offenders increase their delinquency rate, whereas others decrease or withdraw from violent acts. The development theories examine why, after withdrawing from delinquency crime, most people later resume.
The life course theory holds that delinquency is dynamic, and personal traits highly influence it and social experiences, and these factors may gradually cause behavior changes over one’s life. The latent trait theory argues that stable and unchanging character traits influence development in an individual’s life span. The trajectory theory argues that there are different classes and types of offenders.
The turning points in the delinquent may include finding good jobs or achieving successful careers. Victims of delinquency may turn into a good life if they find supportive spouses later in life. Serving in the military may also be a turning point as youth who undergo the training can desist from crime when returning to their civilian life.
Social capital is a network individuals build among the people living and working in a particular society. Building financial capital will improve the chances for personal success, whereas building social capital enables conventional behavior. Wasting social capital may lead to increasing deficits and drag the individual into delinquency.
The pathway to delinquency is the ability individuals to control themselves. Suppose an individual develops low self-control while young, this will affect them in their whole lives. Low self-control makes individuals insensitive to what other people are feeling. They are high-risk takers and most probably refuse to work.
References
Siegel, L., & Welsh, B. (2018). Juvenile delinquency : theory, practice, and law. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.