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Abstract
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VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this paper by Mazario was to examine some of the answers to the question of why some youth turn to delinquency.
METHODOLOGY:
The author employed a non-experimental explanatory design to examine the current state of knowledge in the field of juvenile delinquency.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The author began by noting that stereotypes about the kinds of people who become juvenile delinquents are not satisfactory and can often be harmful and destructive. Explanations of why youth become delinquent cannot be condensed into a single theory; rather, many various factors play a role in the development and maintenance of delinquent behaviors. Poverty itself does not lead to delinquency, but relative poverty, or the perception that others have more due to unjust distribution of society's goods, might cause some children to commit crimes with the justification of having been victimized by society. Frustration about unemployment and the lack of opportunities available to some youth can lead to trouble, as can the presence of peer groups that reward delinquency, or the absence of those that support conventionality. The availability of negative role models can also lead to problem behavior, with children modeling behaviors of troubled parents, siblings or friends. Delinquency has been associated with child abuse and neglect, with a majority of violent criminals reporting abuse as children. The presence of strong and supportive families has been thought to help prevent delinquency among youth. Low self-esteem and poor self-image have been linked to delinquency, in somewhat different ways. Youth with low self-esteem are thought to feel more powerful and important by committing crimes, and those who are labeled as delinquent fall into the cycle of a self-fulfilling prophecy and form a delinquent self-image. Other factors which have been linked to delinquency include the inadequate correction system, poor education, alcohol and drug abuse by both children and parents, family disintegration and insufficient after-school supervision and activity. A recent study in California implicated other factors such as racism, war, diet and television, and recommended the implementation of more strict legislation for gun ownership and some regulation of parental discipline of children. The author concluded that other symptoms of antisocial behavior, such as bullying, cheating, cruelty and drinking, gambling or truancy should also be discouraged in children.
EVALUATION:
The author presents a brief but informative examination of some of the factors associated with delinquency. However, more useful would have been a discussion of the implications of these associations, and what research has found with regard to prevention with each of these factors. Theories of delinquency, such as strain theories and developmental theories, could also have been examined in some detail. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - Delinquency Causes
KW - Socioeconomic Factors
KW - Employment Factors
KW - Peer Influence
KW - Family Relations
KW - Domestic Violence Effects
KW - Domestic Violence Victim
KW - Child Abuse Victim
KW - Child Abuse Effects
KW - Child Victim
KW - Emotional Abuse and Neglect
KW - Self-Esteem
KW - Frustration
Language: en |