Survey Construction



Survey Construction

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to expand the boundaries of our knowledge by exploring some relevant literature related to Juvenile Delinquency. In this paper, the author will formulate a specific research question to address this problem. Based on the research question, the author will name the variables, which will be studies and measured. 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 tried as adults, serve in the military, and, in some states, consume alcohol (Nye, 1958).

The role of the juvenile justice system was to rehabilitate wayward youth. The idea of parens patriae, the court acting as the parent, became the foundation for the juvenile justice system. Unlike the adult criminal justice system, which was a penal system demanding restitution and levying penalties for breaking the law, the juvenile justice system was seen as a means to reform adolescents who, through no fault of their own, had fallen victim to deviant ways, through either bad friends or lack of parental guidance. Driving the juvenile justice system was the philosophy that the young could be rehabilitated (Hirschi, 1969). It is this view of adolescence that persists to this day, at least to a limited degree. While there is the inevitable ebb and flow of societal reaction to juvenile crime, the underlying attitudes about society's perceptions of childhood emotional and psychological development affect how society assesses juvenile crime.

Research Question

How family structures and parent-child relationships influence the occurrence of juvenile delinquency?

Variables

Following are the variables that will be studied and analyzed in this paper:

Family structures

Parent-child relationships

Juvenile delinquency

Dependent variable

In this study, ...