DELINQUENCY

Developmental Risk Factors of Delinquency

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Developmental Risk Factors of Delinquency

Introduction

Juvenile delinquency refers to the crimes carried out by young people or minors. This crime is related to the behavior that is illegal,deviant or immoral with respect ot the values.A criminal is one who relapses and commits crimes repeatedly. Most legal systems consider procedures for dealing with this problem, such as juvenile detention centers. In common parlance, there is an understanding of juvenile delinquency as meaning adolescents breaking the law or participating in mischievous behavior. Defining juveniles as being under the age of 18 years is the general rule of thumb because, in the current legal system, upon reaching this age individuals can be seen as adults, serve in the military, and, in some states, consume alcohol.

Discussion

Like most types of offenses, crimes committed by juveniles have increased since the mid-twentieth century. There are many theories about the causes of juvenile crimes, regarded as particularly important within criminology. This is because the number of crimes increases dramatically between fifteen and twenty years. Second, any theory about the causes of crime, juvenile crimes should be considered as adult criminals are likely to have had a beginning in crime when they were young (Akers, 1990).

Developmental Risk Factors

One may ask why juvenile delinquency viewed as a separate construct from adult deviant behavior. The answer to this legitimate question derived historically from societal attitudes about children. After the Victorian Age were children seen as emotionally and intellectually developing human beings. During the Victorian Age, children merely viewed as young adults. They not regarded as having a world of their own. Their reality was that of their elders. With the industrial revolution and the social reforms that followed (child labor laws, mandatory educational requirements, etc.), children viewed as a group to be protected. From this attitude, concerning the welfare of children sprang the juvenile justice system. The role of the juvenile justice system was to rehabilitate wayward youth. Researchers have identified risk factors that have contributed towards the development of delinquency (Hirschi T., 1969).

Social Risk Factor

Factors such as social and cultural context have its justification in the laws and rules dictated by society. However, in some cases there has been encouragement regarding the use and abuse of drugs such as governments that tolerate free trade in chemicals; or in restrictive measures that have the opposite effect (remember the famous "dry law" in America. Moreover, the availability of drugs on the streets, schools, etc also has an adverse impact on the children. Children move in to this direction due to extreme poverty, suburban exclusion, degradation of life, etc. These are the factors that increase the probability of the risk substance abuse that associated with the crimes. However, there is a close relationship between low socioeconomic status and crime which not associated with the drug use in adolescence excluding when poverty is extreme and associated with behavioral problems of young increases the risk of future alcoholism and other addictions.

Family Risk Factors

Family factors are extremely important in the ...