Prevalent Delinquency Among Adolescents
Abstract
Analyze how prevalent delinquency is among adolescents. Be sure to include data to support your position. After that, be sure to identify and examine what theory best explains juvenile delinquency.
Prevalent Delinquency Among Adolescents
Juvenile delinquency relates to committing a crime at a young age. This action is widely associated with adolescent juveniles of ages between twelve and eighteen years. In the course of their transition from childhood to adulthood, adolescents usually undergo a wide range of developmental and biological changes that may potentially modify their values, attitudes, and general perception about life. Many of them tend to act in ways that go against the laws of the land. In most cases, however, the severity of their offenses is mild and only lasts over a very short duration. The prevalence of delinquent acts among juvenile adolescents tends to peak in adolescence and then sharply decline as they enter adulthood. As individuals move from childhood to adolescence, they feel that it is time for them to get to make decisions on their own and to become autonomous in their actions. Adolescents who get into the company of other delinquents will most likely take part in unjustified and risky behaviors that may break the law. This discussion will focus on analyzing how prevalent delinquency is among adolescents and identifying and examining a theory that best explains juvenile delinquency.
Available statistics show that the prevalence of juvenile delinquency among adolescents is generally on a declining trend. Despite this decline, juvenile delinquency is still a severe problem to law enforcement and the public in the United States. Data obtained from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention shows that the rate of juvenile arrest for all the offenses in the last three decades peaked in 1996 before declining 74% by 2018 (OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book, 2019). A study by Harris-McKoy and Cui (2013) revealed that there were roughly 2.11 million juvenile arrests for individuals under 18 years of age in 2008. The authors proceed to note that between 2007 and 2008, there was a 3% decline in these arrests. Even if not many delinquent adolescents turn out to be career criminals later on in life, there is proof that sometimes, one can carry along their delinquent behaviors from adolescence into adulthood. There is a high likelihood that individuals who become offenders early on in life and develop to become habitual delinquents during adolescence will become violent offenders in their adulthood. According to a study published by the National Institute of Justice (2014), between 52% and 57% of all juvenile delinquents carry over their criminal behaviors into early adulthood up to when they are around 25 years old. People who engage in delinquency before they turn twelve are move likely to become delinquent adults than those who become delinquent in their adolescence.
Juvenile delinquency can best be explained by differential association theory. This is a theory in criminology attributed to Edwin Sutherland, and it holds that people learn the values, techniques, motives, and attitudes for criminal behavior through their interaction with others (Boman & Freng, 2017). Sutherland believed that people with criminal behaviors could teach those who never had such behaviors. From this theory, it can be argued that delinquency is a concept that is copied from others and that one’s behavior is influenced and shaped by their peers with whom they associate. Differential association theory offers the most convincing explanation of why juveniles may become delinquent. Criminal behavior, just like other human behaviors, may be learned from the interactions with others, and not necessarily an inherited trait. Criminals may acquire their behavior from their communication with their delinquent peers. Adolescents tend to learn their criminal behaviors through observations from where they get reason and techniques to commit illegal activities. Differential association theory envisions that people will always choose a negative path if the balance of definitions for law-breaking surpasses the definitions for law-abiding (Boman & Freng, 2017). This is to say that criminal behavior is learned through a process of direct social interaction.
Delinquent and negative behaviors among adolescents are associated with several factors. The existing data indicate that juvenile delinquency is taking a declining trajectory in the United States. However, this does not imply that these criminal behaviors among minors are no longer an issue. Criminal behaviors among adolescents is still a serious issue of concern across the nation. Delinquent adolescents may become habitual criminals when they become adults, although this is not necessarily the case. Individuals who become delinquent before turning twelve are more likely to continue their criminal behavior into adulthood than those who become delinquent in their adolescence. Juvenile delinquency can best be explained using the differential association theory. It can be deduced from this theory that the juveniles tend to learn their criminal behaviors from their interaction with others. Humans usually learn their behaviors from others, and this remains true for criminal behaviors.
References
Boman, J. H., & Freng, A. (2017). Differential association theory, social learning theory, and technocrime. In Technocrime and Criminological Theory (pp. 55-65). Routledge.
Harris-McKoy, D., & Cui, M. (2013). Parental control, adolescent delinquency, and young adult criminal behavior. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 836-843.
National Institute of Justice. (2014). From juvenile delinquency to young adult offending. https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/juvenile-delinquency-young-adult-offending
OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. (2019). Law enforcement & juvenile crime: Juvenile arrest rate trends. https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/JAR_Display.asp?ID=qa05200