Term Paper on "Juveniles and Delinquency"

Term Paper 17 pages (4772 words) Sources: 7 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Juveniles and Delinquency

Youths are important members of the society. They are, as the common saying connotes, the "future of the nation." This is the every reason why much of the developmental programs established by the government and/or the educational institutions are addressed to the needs of the youths. But however hard the government and the educational institutions try to cover the entire populations of youths, thee are still some who fail to take part in such developmental programs. This resulted to the continuously increasing number of juvenile delinquencies.

There are various forms of juvenile delinquencies. In the same manner, there are various classifications of programs and approaches that policy makers, social workers and even psychologists do to have a better understanding regarding the causes and effects of juvenile delinquency and the best possible ways to address it.

Objectives of the study

It will be a good research endeavor to understand the psychological, emotional and psychosocial aspects related to juvenile delinquency. Specifically the purpose of this paper is to:

Recognize the statistical reports related to juvenile delinquency

Identify the various reasons why youths have the tendency to become juvenile and delinquent

Evaluate the effects of juvenile delinquency to various component of the society - the family, the community and/or the country

Identify the programs, laws and regulations related to juvenile delinquency

Assess the success rates of each of the programs and government regulations related to juveniles

Hypothesis

This paper hypothesized that there are a number of factors affecting the youth's tendency to become juvenile and delinquent. These factors may include:

the media and the kind of information presented on it having dysfunctional families unavailability of community developmental programs for the youths

It is a common knowledge that various forms of media are able to present all types of information which are most of the time not suitable for young audiences. Wars, violence, crimes, terrorism, death, killings and other forms of actions causing physical harms can be watched and heard and read from televisions, radios and news papers. At the same time, role playing games in the computers also highlights some actions which when learned and adopted by the youths will form negative imaginations and actions. These are just some of the reasons why media can play a detrimental part in causing more and more juvenile delinquencies.

Meanwhile, the number of dysfunctional families is also rising. Divorce, annulment and long distance family relationships are just some of the causes of dysfunctional families. Being part of a dysfunctional family can trigger psychological and emotional problems to the child hence, resulting to becoming juvenile delinquent.

Lastly, as there are different other issues inside the community, there are times that community workers and/or policy makers neglect the youths and their need for developments activities. Such neglect can result to having more juvenile delinquents within the community.

More so, it is hypothesized that the success rate of the programs and/or laws and regulations against juvenile delinquency is significantly low, hence stricter guidelines on the implementations of different youth-related programs and regulates should be done to achieve better success results.

Significance of the Study

The result of this study will play a significant role to social workers, policy makers and even educational institutions for this paper will give them idea on how to handle juvenile delinquents and how to prevent the seemingly increasing number of juvenile delinquency.

Likewise, this paper will prove to be beneficial to other future researchers who will be dealing with topics on youths, juvenile delinquents or developmental activities for youths. The result of this study will serve as a basis or a reference guide for other researches.

Literature Review

Gangs and Violence as Part of Juvenile Delinquency

Youths have been more inclined to joining various gangs and/or youth groups nowadays, that is why statistics shows that there have been tremendous increases in the number of gangs and gang members we now have. But alongside with this increasing numbers of gang or group members, the number of gang-related violence also increases.

For police officials, a gang is a group of individuals, juvenile and/or adult, who associate on a continuous basis, form an allegiance for a common purpose, and are involved in delinquent or criminal activity. The gang may range from a loose knit group of individuals who hang around together and commit crimes together, to a formal organization with a leader or ruling council, gang colors, gang identifiers, and a gang name. Because of this simple yet functional definition of "gangs," it allows the police departments to take proactive law enforcement action normally before the gang gets an organized structure (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4111/nogangs.html,2005).

Many kids are curious by the lifestyle of the gangsters and are drawn to them like magnets. They will "hang" with them constantly trying to prove their allegiance. They may be asked to commit crimes to "prove" themselves. Once they had proven themselves, they will then be initiated. Initiation consists of a process that is referred to as being V'd in. The current members of the gangs are allowed to kick and punch the aspiring members. Some gangs have rules where you are allowed to hit the victim anywhere on the body, while others don't allow blows to the head. The only reason the blows to the head are not permitted is so the beating can be easier to hide. The inductee is not allowed to block any blows. If he survives the beating, he (or she) becomes a member of the gang. With these seemingly hard initiation rites, once they become a member, it is very difficult to get them out. (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4111/nogangs.html,2005).

Youth gangs are considered to consist of adolescents and young adults, ages 12 to 24. The term "youth gang" is commonly used interchangeably with "street gang," referring to neighborhood or street-based youth groups that are substantially made up of individuals under the age of 24. A "youth gang" is a self-formed association of peers, united by mutual interests, with identifiable leadership and internal organization, who act collectively or as individuals to achieve specific purposes, including the conduct of illegal activity and control of a particular territory, facility, or enterprise (Miller, 1992). "Street gangs" on the other hand, may include both youth gangs and adult criminal organizations. Motorcycle gangs, prison gangs, racial supremacists, and other hated groups are excluded (Miller, 1992).

Statistical reports

Some statistics related to gang and/or youth organizations are:

In California alone, the California Department of Justice estimates that there could be as many as 300,000 gang members in this state. (The 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment).

Street gangs in the west are frequently involved in the distribution of marijuana, methamphetamine and other drugs. (The 2005 National Gang Threat Assessment)

In 2004, there were 59,871 juvenile felony arrests in California. (Crime in California, 2004, Advance Release, California Department of Justice.)

The National Youth Gang Survey estimates that approximately 731,500 gang members and 21.400 gangs were active in the U.S. In 2002. (Highlights of the 2002 National Youth Gang Survey, U.S. Department of Justice, April 2004)

Innocent people in these communities face daily exposure to violence from criminal gangs trafficking in drugs and weapons and gangs fighting among themselves to control or extend their turf and their various criminal enterprises (FBI testimony, Subcommittee on The Western Hemisphere House International Relations Committee, April 20, 2005)

Gangs are more sophisticated in their use of technology and computers and are using these tools to perpetrate criminal acts (FBI testimony, Subcommittee on The Western Hemisphere House International Relations Committee, April 20, 2005)

Gangs remain the primary distributors of drugs throughout the U.S. (FBI testimony, Subcommittee on The Western Hemisphere House International Relations Committee, April 20, 2005)

Gangs are associating with organized crime entities, such as Mexican drug organizations, Asian criminal groups and Russian organized crime groups (FBI testimony, Subcommittee on The Western Hemisphere House International Relations Committee, April 20, 2005)

Prison gangs pose a unique threat to law enforcement and communities. Incarceration of gang members often does little to disrupt their activities, as high-ranking gang members are often able to exert their influence on the street from within prison (FBI testimony, Subcommittee on The Western Hemisphere House International Relations Committee, April 20, 2005)

The incident when John Mohammed and John Malvo, obtained an M-16 rifle and used it in killing nine victims, injured two, and stroked fear into a nation (Lluncor, 2003).

The Columbine tragedy that resulted to distraught of students, who, with guns in their possession, were able to forcefully exhibit their rage. Opponents argue that these boys were inspired by hateful music or pushed to the edge by insensitive bullies. Yet, without guns, these boys would not have been able to end the lives of classmates nor ravage the psyche of America (Lluncor, 2003).

At a rough estimate, about 38,000 Americans die each year of gunshot wounds, almost as many as are killed on the roads. Fewer than half of these deaths are homicides. Together, accidents and suicides account for 54% of firearms deaths. Among 15-24-year-olds, deaths by gunshot went… READ MORE

How to Reference "Juveniles and Delinquency" Term Paper in a Bibliography

Related Term Papers:

Juvenile Delinquency Juvenile Delinquent Essay

The funds saved from the revamping of the program will be used to reduce the budget and fund other programs within the state. There is a possibility that reducing the… read more

Essay 8 pages (2512 words) Sources: 8 Style: APA Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Juvenile Delinquency Baldry, A.C. (2014) Annotated Bibliography

Children and Youth Services Review 32(12): 1823-1830.

This research explores the risk of delinquency among youth placed in foster care with known relatives. Kinship foster care is a preferred situation… read more

Annotated Bibliography 12 pages (3319 words) Sources: 15 Style: APA Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Strategies Term Paper

Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Strategies

There has recently been much focus on strategies meant to prevent juvenile delinquents from continuing their life of crime. While some have had limited results, others… read more

Term Paper 3 pages (1062 words) Sources: 3 Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Juvenile Court Term Paper

Juvenile Injustice: How the Juvenile Justice System Fails at-Risk Kids

The juvenile justice system is a difficult system to define, because it has two goals. One of its goals is… read more

Term Paper 5 pages (1841 words) Sources: 1+ Topic: Child Development / Youth / Teens

---

Juvenile Delinquency When a Juvenile Is Arrested Term Paper

Juvenile Delinquency

When a juvenile is arrested they are charged in a totally different system from adults. These systems are known as juvenile system while adults are charged in adult… read more

Term Paper 4 pages (1344 words) Sources: 4 Topic: Law / Legal / Jurisprudence

---

View 100+ more related papers  >>