What Do Non-Criminal Justice Majors Believe Is The Main Cause Of Juvenile Delinquency?

Main Causes of Juvenile Delinquency

[Name of the Writer]

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Main Causes of Juvenile Delinquency

Introduction

Crime is a major plague of society. Thousands of crimes take place on a daily basis, and hundreds of them are taking place currently. Many of the people would have been robbed, mugged, raped, or even killed while these lines are being written. A number of measures have been taken since the beginning of times in order to stop or curb crime but no use. Nothing can stop the occurrence of crime, and no measure can really stop it completely.

Delinquency has always been a problem; it is considered both a social and legal issue. In addition to this, it is also a psychological issue. There is no age for crime or delinquency; a person can commit crime at any age. Police department reports catching offenders at the age of 102, and the youngest criminal ever caught was 8 years old pick-pocket. The crimes committed by individuals under the age of 18 years are known as delinquency. Juvenile delinquency is defined by the Pennsylvania Juvenile Court Act as “A delinquent child is one who violated any laws of the commonwealth ordinance of the city, a child who by reasons of being wayward or habitually disobedient is uncontrolled by his parents, guardian, custodian or legal representative, a child who is habitually truant from school or home or child who habitually so deports himself is to injury or endanger the morals or health of himself or others”.

Special courts have been developed with trained magistrates in order to carry on a trial of the delinquents. In the current times, delinquency is considered more of misbehavior or a social nuisance rather than a crime. However, the young offenders are required to be caught, controlled, and punished. The United States of America has formulated a law according to which juvenile delinquency should be handled, and the causes of juvenile delinquency are dealt. According to experts, there are a number of reasons that a minor turns into a criminal. Many factors contribute to the criminal behavior of an underage person.

Discussion

Juvenile delinquency is a serious offense and punishable by the law. However, the law shows a little leniency in the case of underage criminals. The law deals the individuals who commit a crime in an age lower than 18 in a different way as compared to the people who indulge in criminal activities.

Causes of Juvenile Delinquency

A number of actors act behind the issue of juvenile delinquency. It has already been established that the court, the legal system, and the justice system deal with offenses conducted by a minor in a different way as compared to the crimes committed by adults. The various reasons that contributes in instigating a minor to commit a big crime like robbery, stealing, and even murder. One of the major causes that contribute to turning a child into a criminal is the school issues. Children who are bullied as kids in school tend to become more inclined towards criminal activities. In addition to this, family conditions and economic conditions of the family also matter a lot in this respect. It has been observed that the children from broken families tend to divert more towards criminal path. Moreover, the children from not-so-well-off families also exhibit criminal traits as they divert towards easy paths to fulfill their wishes.

Research Process

I intend to conduct research on the topic of Juvenile delinquency. This research will look into the factors that contribute towards turning an underage individual into a criminal. The research includes conducting a survey from some of the individuals who have been thought of or accused of indulgence in criminal activities. The number of respondents in this research will not be more than 5 as the study consists of a detailed survey and five responses will be enough to infer results about a large population. The names of the respondents will not be revealed in this survey to keep their identity concealed.

Survey

Age:

Gender:

Occupation:

Social Condition:

Family Bonding:

Level of Education:

How many siblings do you have?

Are you still in school or not?

YesNo

How many family members you are?

Do you live with your parents and grandparents or separately?

Do both your parents work?

How much is your pocket money?

When did you commit your first crime?

What was the first thing you stole?

How much was it worth when you stole it?

What made you go for stealing that particular item?

How did you feel after getting that item?

What made you repeat your actions?

Conclusion

In short, it can be seen that juvenile delinquency is a serious issue not only in the social terms but also in the eyes of the law and psychology. However, the law treats a minor criminal and an adult criminal differently. There is a little leniency in the law regarding the underage criminals, and the law focuses on the rehabilitation of the individual instead of punishing them. A number of factors contribute to turning a child in the criminal, for example, school issues, substance abuse- home life, substance abuse – personal, economic issues, and marriage problems between parents. Elaborated research can help in understanding the exact reasons behind the criminal activities of a minor. This research can be conducted with the help of a survey or questionnaire that can be distributed among the children that have been accused of indulging in criminal or offensive activities. The results of this study can help in eliminating those factors and bring those children towards a better and healthy social life.