Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile Delinquency

Why is it so important for criminal justice students to take a course in juvenile delinquency?

Juvenile delinquents are the children that are below the age of 18, and are engaged in crime. Juvenile delinquency is Juvenile delinquent behavior is one of the most significant issues that America faces in the modern times. Regardless of the social alertness, juvenile delinquency is increasing as can be seen with the recent events. Because of the growing phenomenon it is important for the students of criminal justice to understand the motives behind these crimes.

A criminal mind is developed during the growing phase of a person's life. An adult needs to be raised in the right environment in order to be able to understand the difference between right and wrong. In general, the adolescent offender is poor, has many siblings and parents can hardly sustain and give the ideal education for all (far from it). Not to mention when the young man is abandoned by his parents when one or both died when the child does not even know his father, among other complications (Agnew, 2005).

Sure it's nice to avoid a deterministic position, poverty and lack of affection alone will not produce criminals. But the lack of family structure, education, greater exposure to violence in the suburbs and the lack of public policies for these young people makes them more likely to commit petty crimes. Teenagers begin with misdemeanors such as shoplifting, and then going up "rungs" on the ladder of crime. They need to be sent to the correctional facilities and rehabilitated in order to become better citizens, and build a more peaceful society (Cole et.al, 2012)

Some of the children may not be mature enough to understand why they did the crime. The criminal justice students develop an understanding of the fact that in some states, for certain crimes, the juveniles are convicted in adult courts. For Example, in Pennsylvania a child that is more than 10 years old and commits a homicide is charged as an adult. The course helps in understanding the rationale behind these laws.

Discuss how divorce and parental deviance can be the root cause of delinquency

Family structure plays an important part in the juvenile delinquency. The lesser the communication and structure the family gives, the more it is probable that the child will be involved in delinquent activities. Juveniles are most probable to transform into juvenile delinquents if there is modest structure given for them in their families. All the aspects of a family are important in the nurturing of the child, and could eventually lead to the delinquent behaviors if the family is not functioning in a proper way. The family is when the parents stay together, there is no form of violence in the household, and open communication.

Family is the underpinning factor of human society. Children who are neglected by their parents, and grow up in homes where there is a lot of conflict are prone to become ...