CRM 303-01
Psychoanalytic Theory
Freud argued that what a child experiences by the age of 5 largely determines the person's outcome as an adult... What do you think? Decision-making driven by three levels of personality: ID, EGO, SUPERGO ID - hunger, sex, self preservation, sleep Someone has an overactive id Superego - moral center Ego - Moderator + freud attributes delinquent behavior to a defective superego
Does Age Make a Difference?
Generally the younger one starts, the more offending they commit for longer periods of time
Shur's Radical Nonintervention
: "leave the kids alone whenever possible". Formal JJ Involvement produces more delinquency than it prevents... is this so?
Does Racial/Ethnic Background Make A Difference?
African-American and Latino youth report more violent victimization than White Youth...Why?
Social Control Theory key Elements of the Social Bond
Attachment - affection and respect to parents, teachers, friends Stronger the attachment, less-likely to commit delinquency Attachment to parents is the most powerful attachment Commitment - commitment to conventional activities and values. Examples? Involvement - Involvement in conventional activities leaves less time for delinquent behavior Belief - Delinquency results from the absence of effective beliefs that forbid socially-acceptable behavior
Biological Positivism
Can a youth be born a criminal? Discussion: Child is a clean slate "Tabula Rasa" Lombroso initially believed all delinquents were born criminals, but later concluded that the environment was more responsible Lombrosos idea did not survive and received scrutiny
Radical Criminology
Causes of crime are rooted in social conditions that empower the wealthy and the politically-well-organized but disenfranchise the less fortunate RC's contend that crime can be prevented when communities strive for reduced inequality, reduced reliance on formal institutions of justice, and reduced materialism Why would this reduce crime in the U.S? Social relations in less-violent communities would support self-reliance, self-realization, and mutual aid.
History of Juvenile Delinquency (Colonial) 1636-1823
Colonial Period (1636 - 1823) Kids punished by parents Family focus - offenders sent back to families for punishment (physical and often harsh) Benefits - shame, maybe it works, family can shape values, no institutions, less community Disadvantages - family goes easy on the child, inappropriate punishment, inconsistency, no punishment at all, the family is crazy
Outcomes of Social Strain
Conformity - acceptance of society's values and the institutional means of attaining t Rebellion - rejection of societys values and replacing them with new set of values or instituitons Retreatism - rejection of societys values by retreating from society Innovation - acceptance of societys values, but a rejection of the accepted means of attaining them Ritualism - rejection of societys values, but will still strive to abide by the
How much youth crime is occurring?
Currently, youth represent roughly 9% of all major crime arrests. 14% of all property crime arrests, and 10% of all violent crime arrests(2015) Youth are most frequently arrested for property crimes
Social- Disorganization Theory
Definition: Juvenile Delinquency occurs when there is a breakdown of social control among traditional community agent, because of social disarray in the community. Shaw and Mckay studied inner city neighborhoods.. But some of these factors exist in middle and upper-class neighborhoods as well.. How? New norms agents replace traditional ones, such a delinquency, gangs, "code of the streets", pregnancy pacts that are transmitted from one generation to the next Mckay and Shaw found that the closer an area was to the city, the more delinquency occurred even when racial composition changed
Social Strain Theory-Merton
Definition: occurs when there is a gap between society's values and an individual's ability to achieve those values Examples of such gaps? Delinquency can result from frustration individuals feel when they are unable to achieve the goals they desire
Delinquency
Delinquency - illegal acts performed by minors, phrased first used in Illinois in 1899
Differential Association Theory
Delinquency is learned from interactions with others Propositions of Differential Association Delinquent behavior is not an inherited trait but an acquired one The learning of criminal behavior (or any behavior) occurs within intimate personal groups.. This learning is more powerful than movies or music A child commits delinquency when they are encountered with more behavioral patterns that favor breaking the law instead of following the law
Effects of Social-Disorganization
Despair, hopelessness -> drug abuse, domestic violence, aggression Erosion of Social Capital - our social networks or connections Erosion of Cultural Capital - Our knowledge, skills, resources Erosion of Collective Effiacy - Informal control and cohesion found in neighborhoods
What do Self-Report Studies Tell Us About Juvenile Delinquency?
Economically lower-class youth more likely to engage in frequent delinquent acts Engagement in occasional or infrequent delinquency the same across social-class African-American youth more likely than Whites to be arrested, convicted, and institutionalized...even though both groups commit similar offenses
General History on Delinquency Term
Phrase first used in Illinois in 1899 Until 2010, CT was one of three states that treated most 16 year old's as adults Due to research on brain development. What was developed emotion and thrill seeking. What's not developed till 25, judgement New York changed policy in October 2018 North Carolina in 2019 Status Offenses - non delinquent offense that tis illegal for minors but not for adults Curfew violations, runaways, truancy (skipping school), underage drinking In CT, classified as FWSN's or families w/ service needs
Social Control Theory
Premise: Delinquent acts result when an individual's bond to society is weak or broken Social bonds serve to control our impulses or "keep us in check" To Hirschi, the important question ': why do they do it? But instead why don't they do it Individuals most tightly-bonded to social groups like family, school, peers are less likely to commit delinquent acts
Elliot's Integrated Social Process Theory ( A theory of theories)
Premise: living in socially disorganized areas leads youth to develop weak bonds with conventional groups, activities and norms What theory is this borrowed from? - Social Disorganization theory These weak bonds as well as high levels of social-strain, lead youth to seek out delinquent peer groups What theory is this borrowed from? - Social Strain Theory These antisocial peer groups provide positive reinforcement and role-models for delinquent behavior What theory is this borrowed from? - Differential Association Theory
Labeling Theory
Premise: society creates delinquency by labeling those who are caught as "different" from other youth In reality, they are different primarily because they have been tagged with a deviant label
Social Control and Juvenile Crime in 1980s
Problems in the 80s Aids, crack cocaine, violent crime = fear, hysteria Media portrayals of serious youth crime prompted "get tough" federal policies 1970s reform efforts became unpopular and unacceptable Social Control Policies of 80s led to increase in "get tough" federal policies such as: Preventive detention (to teach him a lesson) Limitation, the kids are out of schools and activities that are developmentally positive for them to success Transfer of violent juveniles to adult court Mandatory sentencing for violent juveniles Increased confinement of juveniles Enforcement of death penalty for juveniles who commit murder
Reform Agenda of 1970s
Reduced use of juvenile correctional facilities and increased use of community-based alternatives Divert minor and status offenders from the JJ system Juvenile justice and delinquency prevention act of 1974 Majority of OJJDP (first office dedicated to juvenile justice) funds targeted programs for minor and status offenders... ramifications?
Social Structure
Relativity stable formal and informal arrangements that characterize a society
History of Juvenile Delinquency (Refuge Period) 1824-2898
Resulted from disillusionment with family Children sent to institutions of orderly disciplined environments Instead of children being sent home they were sent away By mid- 1800's, reformers deemed them ineffective and at times chaotic, dangerous and inhumane
Does Social Class make a difference?
Social Class alone has not been proven to predict delinquency Degree of social disorganization, informal control in a community has predicted neighborhood crime at all levels of neighborhood income
Sociobiology
Sociobiology - what produced delinquency is a combination of genetic traits and social conditions Early studies of adopted children indicate a genetic component to delinquency... but could environment be at play as well?
The impact that delinquency peers have on a young person
The frequency of the social contact The time period over which the contact takes place The age at which a person experiences the contacts The intensity of the social interactions (close friends v acquaintances)
Social Interactions Theory
The give and take that continuously occurs between individuals and society
What do Self-Report Studies Tell Us About Juvenile Delinquency?
There is a lot of hidden delinquency that police don't know about or don't catch Youth in middle and lower-socioeconomic classes commit delinquency Majority of violent juvenile crime committed by small number of chronicoffenders.
Conflict Theory
Those in power institute means of keeping power by repressing others Powerful use criminal justice system to maintain dominant position
Moffitt's Developmental Theory
Two paths of delinquency... What are they? Life-course persistent Often exhibit neuropsychological and learning problems Is it the learning problems, or how the environment responds to learning problems that explains the persistence? Doing what theyre doing with or without peers Adolescent-Limited path? Most delinquent youth are in this category Delinquency starts in adolescence, but starts to end around 18 Behavior usually due to peer reinforcement More skilled than the life-course persistent
What are Victimization Surveys and what have they found?
Youth are more victimized than any other age group Much more crime is committed than is reported Where one lives will increase/decrease probability of being victimized (social context) Being victimized increases likelihood of offending
Hawkins and Weis Social Development model
Integration of social control and social learning theories Premise: if youth are given adequate opportunities for involvement in legitimate activities and are able to acquire the necessary skills with a consistent reward structure, they will develop social bonds that dissuade delinquency Abundance, accessible( location,cost), legal, if kids arent getting something out of it then they probably wont stay in it, progress
ncvs
NCVS administered to over 70,000 individuals in over 40,000 households. Heads of household asked about household crime Anyone in house at least 12 years old asked about personal experience with crime
Labeling Theory (Becker)
One a person is caught and labeled, that person becomes an outsider and gains a new social status This social status has consequences for both the person's self-image and his or her public identity... any celebrities or politicians?
Problems w/ UCR
Only measures reported crime Considers Latino/a citizens in same category as White citizens Subject to police department manipulation
Juvenile Rights Period (1967-1975)
Outcome of accusations of arbitrary justice by juvenile courts, poor treatment by police, brutal treatment in training schools Spurred supreme court rulings establishing rights of juveniles In re Gault (1967) : Established that juveniles have due process rights in hearing that could lead to confinement. Enthusiasm for community - based corrections grew States began process of deinstitutionalization. Goal was to leave training schools only for hard - cord delinquents.
Is more or less juvenile crime occurring? FBI Uniform Crime Rep
Overall, Juvenile Crime has decreased Between 1971 and 2010, juvenile arrest rate for all major offenses declined from 45% to 13%. Between 2006 and 2015, juvenile arrest rate declined by 55%. Juvenile murder increased between 19871993, but has steadily declined since 1993. Why the increase between 87-93?
Social Control "get tough" policies continued in 90s in form of:
Parental responsibility laws Juvenile Boot Camps Youth Gun Laws Expansion of youth tried as adults
Should we have a juvenile justice system?
¼ youth are engaging in multiple problem behaviors that place them at risk of committing crimes 1/6 youth have been victims of property crime, a rate that is 40% higher than adults Youth between the ages of 12 and 20 experience more violent crime than any other age group Pick back up around 60s
What predicts a youth ending criminal behavior?
"Turning-Points" such as: New situations that knife-off the past from the present New situations that provide both supervision and monitoring as well as new opportunities of social support and growth New situations that change and structure routine activities New situations that provide opportunity for identity transformation
what is the Nature of Juvenile Crime? Outcome of Self-Report Studies
Females commit more crime than official arrest data indicates, but males still are more delinquent than girls Drug use by adolescents has decreased since it's peak in 1970's. Alcohol and Marijuana are the most widely used drugs among adolescents
History of Juvenile Delinquency ( Juvenile Court Period) 1899-1966
Fire one in Cook County, Illinois,based on philosophy parens patriae.. What is this? Why was this significant? To be the parents when the parents are not there or are unable to.. The state can step in.. Parens patriae: states can assume a parental role and take custody of a child when he or she becomes delinquent, is abandoned, or is in need of care that the natural parents are unable or unwilling to provide. Goal was to identify the causes of deviance, provide individualized treatment in order to keep child out of jail or prison. Children not deemed as entirely responsible for behavior, mostly victims of circumstances, environment - Era saw establishment of juvenile bureaus, juvenile probation and parole
Montreal Longitudinal Experimental Study (Tremblay)
Followed boys from kindergarten until age of twenty, with following key findings Physical aggression during kindergarten was the best behavioral predictor of later delinquency Less parental monitoring was associated with increased risk of self-reported extreme delinquency Deviant friends led to more delinquency Family poverty predicted more serious adolescent delinquency Parent-training had long-term benefits on many boy's
What Now? Juvenile programs
Juvenile Review Boards (JRB) Second chance, accountability, why? Necessary intervention Today's policies in CT favor a balance of treatment and appropriate sanctions Restorative justice and alternatives to detention Repair the harm done, address why the person did it Intensive in-home intervention Community reintegration Best- practices recognize role of social context Understand risk and protective factors Role of social-policy in prevention
What is Tannebaum's "Dramatization of Evil"
The process of labeling a juvenile results in youth becoming involved with other delinquent youth... how? This association can lead to a delinquent career that can de difficult to change According to tannebaum, the less a youth is labeled, the less-likely a youth will pursue a delinquent career... does this make sense?
Social Process
interactions between individuals and their environments that might influence delinquency