What is Juvenile Delinquency and a Juvenile Delinquent?

Juvenile delinquency usually refers to the violation of a law by a juvenile. It includes such crimes as murder, robbery, automobile theft, carjacking and burglary as well as some offences, such as truancy, staying out after a curfew, drinking alcoholic beverages or certain sexual acts, that are illegal only when committed by juveniles. Many people use the term juvenile delinquency to include anything youngsters do that goes against the standards of society, regardless of whether this action is legal or illegal.

The legal age at which a person is considered to be a juvenile varies from place to place. Most states in the United States define anyone under 18 years of age as a juvenile. New York considers anyone under 17 a juvenile. In Canada, juveniles may be those under the age of 16. So, the definition of a juvenile varies from state to state, but the term most commonly refers to someone under 18 years of age.

Juvenile delinquency is regarded as a serious social problem in the United States and many other countries. It has caused increasing public concern, but it is by no means a new problem. Young people formed violent street gangs in American cities during the 1800s, and delinquency rates were reported rising during the early 1900’s. Delinquency is found in all nations and is particularly widespread in highly industrialized nations that have large cities.Experts say that the juvenile problem is the result of the policy of silence which disguised many problems including this one.

The legal term a juvenile delinquent was established so that young lawbreakers could avoid the disgrace of being classified in legal records as criminals, juvenile delinquency laws were designed to provide treatment, rather than punishment, for juvenile offenders. Young delinquents usually are sent to juvenile courts, where the main aim is to rehabilitate (reform) offenders, rather than to punish them. But the term juvenile delinquency itself has come to imply disgrace.

The term juvenile delinquency is merely an administrative term, not a clinical diagnosis. It has to be recognized that relatively minor delinquent activities (e.g. petty theft, vandalism) are surprisingly common in the teens. However, there is a small but hard core of adolescents who habitually break the law. Delinquency is perhaps the most noteworthy of all activities as an adolescent manifestation, reaching a peak at 15 years for boys and 14 years for girls. But in their twenties most of the former offenders gradually become broadly law-abiding members of the community.

Extent of delinquency. Crime statistics, though they are often incomplete and may be misleading, do give an indication of the extent of the delinquency problem. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reports that during the mid-1980s, about two-fifths of all U.S. arrests for burglary and arson were of people under age 18. Juveniles also accounted for about one-third of all arrests for larceny. In any year, about 4 per cent of all children between the ages of 10 and 18 appear in a juvenile court. The percentage of youngsters in this age group who are sent to court at least once is much higher. A third or more of those boys living in slum areas of large cities may appear in a juvenile court at least once.But sociologists have concluded that youthful misbehavior is much more common than is indicated by arrest recordsand juvenile court statistics.

Girls are becoming increasingly involved in juvenile delinquency. Today, about one of every five youngsters appearing in juvenile court is a girl. In the early 1900’s, this ratio was about 1 girl to every 50 or 60 boys.

What causes delinquency? Many studies have been made in an effort to determine the causes of delinquency. Most of these have focused on family relationships or on neighborhood or community conditions. The results of these investigations have shown that it is doubtful that any child becomes a delinquent for any single reason.

Family relationships, especially those between parents and individual children, have been the focus of several delinquency studies. An early study comparing delinquent and nondelinquent brothers showed that over 90 per cent of the delinquents had unhappy home lives and felt discontented with their life circumstances. Only 13 per cent of their brothers felt this way. Whatever the nature of the delinquents’ unhappiness, delinquency appeared to them to be a solution. It brought attention to youths neglected by their parents, or approval by delinquent friends, or it solved problems of an unhappy home life in other ways. More recent studies have revealed that many delinquents had parents with whom they did not get along or who were inconsistent in their patterns of discipline and punishment.

Neighborhood conditions have been stressed in studies by sociologists. Many of these inquiries concentrate on differing rates of delinquency, rather than on the way individuals become delinquents.

A series of studies have shown that delinquency rates are above average in the poorest sections of cities. Such areas have many broken homes and a high rate of alcoholism. They also have poor schools, high unemployment, few recreational facilities, and high crime rates. Many young people see delinquency as their only escape from boredom, poverty, and other problems. So, children from the poorest part of society lack opportunities to develop in socially acceptable ways and turn to delinquency as a substitute. But the pain of being poor and living in slum conditions is felt more strongly in a rich society than in a poor one.

The use of drugs. Surveys of U.S. teen-agers indicate that the great majority have at least experimented with such drugs as alcohol, barbiturates, cocaine, LSD, or marijuana. Some have experimented with heroin, morphine, or other narcotic drugs. Many of these drugs are physically harmful if taken regularly. A single overdose of some drugs, such as heroin or a barbiturate, can result in a coma or death.Alcohol is the most widely used drug among teenagers though alcoholic beverages cannot legally be sold to people under 18 in any state.About 15 per cent of U.S. high school students may have a serious drinking problem.

Adolescents experiment with drugs for various reasons, including peer group pressure, the desire to appear grown-up, the example of parents, and curiosity.Some teenagers may be led into it by boredom or by an unconscious desire to escape mental or emotional pressure. Teenagers who feel genuinely useful are perhaps least likely to develop the problem of drug abuse.

Being labeled.Experts say juveniles who are caught and labeled delinquent by the authorities are likely to continue to break the law because that label makes it harder for them to be law-abiding.A youngster can be labeled a delinquent for breaking any one of anumber of laws, ranging from robbery to running away from home. But an action for which a youth may be declared a delinquent in one community may not be against the law in another community. In some communities, the police ignore many children who are accused of minor delinquencies or refer them directly to their parents. But in other communities, the police may refer such children to a juvenile court, where they may officially be declared delinquents.

Learnt bahaviour.Delinquency is learned behaviour, acquired by associating with people who have little respect for the law.

Biological or psychological causes.Child aggression may be a result of imitating the rough and violent parent behavior towards children. If the child has a hostile cruel parent or parent-substitute, the child may grow into a subordinate, servile, intimidated or even masochistic person, as well as into an angry and aggressive person very much resembling his/her tormentor.The incomplete (single parent) family is the cause of a poorly developed feeling of a lasting parent-child relationship, the consequence of which is insufficient socialization of the child.The absence of one parent engenders a great emotional deficiency in the family structure. The child is thus devoid of the objectof identification, which is the most important factor in the formation of child’s character and one of the reasons for the development of delinquent behaviour among children and youth.

Prevention of delinquency. Many efforts have been made to develop programs of delinquency prevention. There is little evidence, however, that any of these programs is truly effective. Some programsprovide counseling services to youths who appear to be on the verge of becoming delinquents. Other programs draw youngsters into clubs and recreational centers in an effort to keep them away from situations in which delinquency is likely to occur. In recent years, many efforts have centered on improving the educational and work skills of youngsters.

For those juveniles who have already become delinquents, there are programs designed to prevent them from committing future delinquent acts. Probation services are offered through juvenile courts in an effort to provide guidance for delinquent children. The more progressive institutions for juveniles attempt to provide treatment programs for offenders – work experiences, counseling, education, and group therapy. However, many other institutions provide little more than protective custody for juvenile delinquents.

1. As you read the text a) look for the answers to these questions:

1. What is juvenile delinquency? 2. What is a juvenile delinquent? 3. Do the crimes committed by adults differ from crimes committed by juveniles? 4. Are there any crimes committed only by juveniles? 5. Why are minor offenders not recorded as criminals though they also commit crimes? 6. Are there universal laws of punishing juveniles? Why? 7. If a person commits crimes being a minor, does it mean he/she will be anhardened offender being an adult? Elaborate on your answer. 8. How can you explain that the level of delinquency is higher among the low-income groups in societies where most people are well-to-do than in poor societies? 9. What makes girls commit more crimes nowadays than they did in past? 10. What are the causes of juvenile delinquency? Add some more causes if you can. 11. How do family relationships encourage the turning of a juvenile into a delinquent? 12. If poor neighbourhood influences teens greatly and becomes one of juvenile delinquency causes, what does gilded youth lack and why does it commit crimes? 13. Why is drugs abuse considered one of juvenile delinquency causes? Aren’t public drinking and usage of drug crimes themselves? Dwell on your point of view. 14. If a former criminal lives in your neighbourhood, will your child become a delinquent or remain a law-abiding person? 15. What does it mean to be labeled? 16. Give the example how biological or psychological reasons cause juvenile delinquency? 17. What preventive measures would you suggest to take to reduce the level of juvenile delinquency in your country? 18. What punishment is administered to juveniles? 19. What courts try juvenile cases? 20. Who is responsible for the high rate of juvenile delinquency?

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