Research Paper on "Correlation Between Juveniles and Crime"

Research Paper 15 pages (5161 words) Sources: 15 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Juveniles and Crime

The Interaction of Biological and Social Learning Theory as the Cause of Juvenile Delinquency

Although most individuals typically have a concept of conventional moral behavior, the presence of deviant behavior and criminal acts are represented in every society and culture. One concept of crime that has gained increased attention from researchers and media outlets in modern time is the distinction of juvenile delinquency, which refers to criminal acts or offenses performed by children, adolescents, or individuals below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible. Risk factors such as socioeconomic class, family environment, and peer influence have emerged to highlight the increased probability a youth individual will commit criminal acts. From these risk factors, theories have been developed to address the cause of juvenile delinquency. Some theories are designed to explain specific aspects of deviants, others broadly describe risk factors as causes of delinquency, but no theory has been capable of defining all features of juvenile delinquency. The combination of the biology theory and the social learning theory of juvenile deviance allows for both theories to be explored as a collective cause of delinquency. Genetic inheritance and chemical imbalance in addition to learned behavior traits are contributors to the causal complex of juvenile delinquency.

Ever since the construction of the first civil society, behavioral rules distinguishing what is acceptable and what is criminal have existed. Even though individuals typically have a concept of conventional moral behavior, the presence of deviant conduct and criminal acts are represented in every society and culture. Criminal deviance is not a novel construct, and has long been the intrigue of researchers to determine criminal motivation and understand the relationship of crime and society. One concept of crime that has gained increased attention from researchers and media outlets in modern time is the distinction of juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency refers to criminal acts or offenses performed by children, adolescents, or individuals below the age at which ordinary criminal prosecution is possible (Juvenile delinquency, 2003). In the wake of juvenile delinquency, risk factors and influences have been compiled to establish a type of profile for juvenile offenders. Risk factors cover individual, family, school, peer group, and community domains to address factors ranging from economic class and family environment, to peer influence. Theories explaining the causes of juvenile delinquency emerge from these risk factors and are explored by varying research disciplines: economical, psychological, sociopolitical, biological, and sociological sources. Each discipline aims to define the causes of juvenile criminal deviance in the context of their field, wherein lies the problem -- not all of these singular fields can be correct. The overall cause of juvenile delinquency cannot be reduced to only one theory of one discipline, and must consider a collection of influences to be considered valid and relevant. The root of juvenile delinquency is a combination of two theories, the biological theory and the social learning theory, which together encompasses genetic predisposition and social contributions as causes of criminality.

Every society and every culture hosts a set of laws, written or unwritten, that conveys notions of unacceptable and unlawful behaviors. These rules, whether formal or informal, are expected to be obeyed by members of the community. Even further than legal rules, cultures incorporate a broad set of regulations and expectations that explain proper behavior for children. The expectations for children often exceed legal jurisdiction, as children and adolescents are continuously being taught to distinguish between "good" behavior and "bad" behavior in all aspects of their lives (Binder, Geis, & Bruce, 2000, p. 1). Each culture can be divided into subcultures, such as school and work culture, in which children are being educated on moral behaviors in different contexts. The smallest subunit in culture is the family culture, in which family rules are unique to each household (Binder, Geis, & Bruce, 2000, p. 1). The subunits within a subculture, within a singular culture, represent layers of regulations to promote accepted behavior, and each layer inherently creates potential for deviant action.

Juvenile delinquency is a criminal concept that is easily defined as criminal or illegal behaviors and acts committed by members of the youth population (Urziceanu, 2006, p. 262-63). As young people transition from childhood to adulthood, they have to navigate between emotions and changing social scenarios in order to better understand the complexities of the world. Challenging emotions and other social factors lead to children and adolescent individuals to "act out." It is inevitable that every child is going to "act out" or express opposition at some point, whether it is refusal to eat dinner, go to bed, or another action that seems as harmless. These episodes are typical as anger, frustration, and defiance are all aspects of the human spectrum of emotion (Sampson, & Laub, 1993, p. 86-88). Since all children will eventually exude a sense of deviant behavior, what triggers these behaviors to transition from "harmless" to criminal? Why do some adolescent individuals commit crime and illegal acts, while others do not? Although the concept of juvenile delinquency is easy to define, determining the actual cause of criminality in young persons presents a much more intricate problem.

Determining the cause of juvenile delinquency first requires one to make the distinction of criminals choosing to break the law, versus criminals choosing to commit a particular crime. Acts of juvenile delinquency share a great deal of overlap with criminal acts committed by adult offenders, which only adds to the intrigue of researchers and hysteria generated by media outlets (Cicourel, 1995). Acts of crime committed regardless of age group range from shoplifting, to rape and murder. Each of these crimes is different in their own right, but share the common thread that is breaking the law (Lahey, 2003, p. 122). To better understand the cause of juvenile delinquency, one cannot question why the offender chose to shoplift, rape, vandalize, or whatever the case may be, one must understand why the juvenile delinquent chose to break the law. Questioning the cause of juvenile delinquency also requires the avoidance of questioning why an act is considered a crime. Identifying the cause of juvenile delinquency involves removing sociological and ethical questions into what societies consider crime, why one chooses a certain crime, or to morally justify if a particular criminal act is right or wrong (Lahey, 2003, p. 123). Each of the mentioned aspects arising from criminal behavior deserve their own attention, however it only distracts from determining the central causes of delinquency. Defining the cause of juvenile delinquency includes isolating the individual into components of biology and motivation, in the absence of other social constructs.

Researchers inquiring into causes of juvenile delinquency have expended much energy on developing theoretical models to describe the relationship between specific variables and their outcomes. The variables outlined by researchers are commonly known as risk factors. Although researchers seem to agree there is no single route to delinquency, each theory bases its model from their respective risk factors (Shader, 2002). For example, a psychological model focuses only on behavioral risk factors, while a biological model focuses primarily on genetic and inherited risk factors. Distinguishing the cause of juvenile delinquency entails exploring risk factors that span across various theories, and ultimately integrating different theories to establish the most relevant understanding of delinquency.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention within the U.S. Department of Justice broadly describes risk factors as "those characteristics, variables, or hazards that, if present for a given individual, make it more likely that this individual, rather than someone selected from general population, will develop a disorder" (Shader, 2002). The basic concept of a juvenile delinquency risk factor is the prediction of an increased probability for offending. The problem associated with risk factors is they are not definite, and there can be confusion between risk factors and their impact. For example, psychological dysfunctions share an unclear relationship with risk factors as one risk factor is rarely associated with only one disorder. Other concerns about risk factors include how their impact varies with the developmental state of the individual and that exposure to several risk factors creates a cumulative effect (Shader, 2002). It is important to note that risk factors do not imply certainty; they only indicate an increased probability for criminal offense. One statistic shows that out of the minors that commit crimes, only 20% of them are employees or students (Urziceanu, 2006). This statistic alone shows that it is a risk factor for delinquency if a juvenile is unemployed or not attending school, however it does not suffice to say that all juvenile offenders are non-students or unemployed.

Researchers rely on risk factors to detect the chance of certain outcomes, however there are many in the youth population harboring multiple risk factors and never commit delinquent acts (Shader, 2002). Although these individuals exist, it is not enough to ignore risk factors as indicators of juvenile delinquency. One report states that a 10-year-old exposed to six or more risk factors is 10 times more likely to commit a… READ MORE

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