Juvenile Delinquency - Essay Example

Juvenile Delinquency affiliation Juvenile Delinquency Shawn’s attempted murder in Los Altos As van Dalen (2001) reports, in the year 1998 on a Christmas night, Shawn a 16-year-old boy, attacked his father while sleeping. He stabbed him severely with a knife on the neck, head and arms. To date, the reason for attacking his father remains unclear. Even though there was uncouth tension in the family due to Shawn’s expulsion from school and use of marijuana, he never had a violent relation with his loving father. Shawn claims that he does not remember attacking his father. His mother can remember waking up after hearing her husband sharp scream. Shawn’s father did not know who attacked him at first. However, minutes later, he realized that it was his son as he tackled him to the ground. Immediately, the police and medical help arrived saving his life. He only realized of his cruel action in the hospital when the police told him that he would be charged with attempt murder or first-degree murder if his father survives or dies. Following the incidence, prosecutors filed fitness claims so that he could be charged in an adult criminal court for an attempt to murder. The charge could have seen him serve a sentence of 15 years. However, after a lengthy discussion with his family, Shawn pleaded guilty to the charges so that the juvenile system could punish him. Consequently, he would serve lesser time in the juvenile prison since it could only accommodate people up to the age of 25. There are some theories that explain the origin of delinquent behavior as evident in Shawn. They encompass: Behaviorism and learning theory in juvenile delinquency Cox, Allen, Hanser and Conrad (2013) point out that delinquent and criminal behavior are part of the various human social behaviors. Thus, children learn the behavior just like the other social behaviors as they grow. As the theory suggests, teenagers are the most affected. Through conditioning were an undesirable behavior is punished and the wanted behavior awarded, one can learn any social behavior. Therefore, once a person starts to exhibit delinquent behavior, he or she can be stopped by utilizing the conditioning technique. Parents have a significant role to play in behavior modification where they guide their children to adopt socially acceptable behaviors. Strengthening the positive behavior aids in change achievement. For instance, it can be argued that the delinquent behavior of Shawn was learned from his mother. Consumption of illicit drugs in the United States including alcohol is a crime among juveniles. Despite the knowledge of the constitutional provision, Shawn’s mother introduced her son to alcohol intake. In addition to alcohol, Shawn started using other hard drugs like marijuana. Evidently, he got into a company of teenagers indulging in drug and substance abuse. He succumbed to peer pressure. At some point, Shawn and his friends were charged with robbery with violence from one of their schoolmates. This behavior might have developed over time with the increased consumption of marijuana, alcohol, and delinquent company. It is believed that he had issues with his father since he did not approve of his drug and substance abuse at his age. Labeling theory Psychologist suggests that seamless labeling of deviant juveniles as outsiders can motivate delinquent behavior. In an illustration, Cox, et al. (2013) gives two instances where a delinquent juvenile can take heroin in a group of gang members. In another case, a juvenile takes heroin in the public place. He argues that both are indulging in delinquent behavior, but the one who did take the illicit drug in public is likely to face official action. Consequently, the apprehended individual will be arraigned in court, undergo a trial and judgment are given labeling him or her as deviant. Unlike the other person who was not caught despite committing crimes, the convicted person might have problems redeeming him/herself since the society would have labeled him/her as a deviant. Before his murder attempt, Shawn’s parents reported that he had an issue with family as evident through deteriorating behavior. In the family, Shawn was seen as an outskirt with the extreme socially unwanted behavior. Thus, he gained more acceptance with his gang with whom he engaged in criminal activities. Eventually, he was integrated into the criminal activities up to the point that he attempted to murder his father without any thought about his consequences. Control theories Control theory scientists believe that one has to be in continuous control from either outside or inside environment to resist committing criminal acts. The importance of external pressure and inner control on self-concept is eminent in delinquency. There are minimal possibilities of people with positive self-concept to engage in delinquent behaviors as compared to those who have negative self-concepts. Ryan, Williams and Courtney (2013) posit that control theory lays more emphasis on bonds and attachment with other people in society. When an individual is more attached and engaged with a delinquent group of persons, he or she is likely to behave in the same manner. People fear the consequences of non-conformity hence tend to conform to the delinquent activities of the others. With time, this behavior develops to be part of the individual hence more frequent cases of delinquency acts. For Shawn’s case, it is evident that he had withdrawn from family. The attachment was clearly linked to his drug abuse peers. Hence, having a stronger bond with the delinquent groups than the family member who could instill a positive self-concept. At the same time in most cases when his father was not around, Shawn could engage in alcohol abuse with his mother who was also struggling with the alcohol addiction. Therefore, Shawn’s actions can partly be contributed to control theories since he had minimal control on his ability to deter the delinquent behavior. Social attachment could also result to his behavior. Concisely, it is impossible for one to deter some juvenile delinquencies owing to the fact that it learned and gained through the environmental interactions. For instance, adequate parenting and paying attention to the behavior of Shawn could have prevented some of the most heinous activities he had done as a child. It all began by taking alcohol that went on to engage in more hard drugs and meeting with other hardcore criminals. All this could have been prevented had he not been introduced to alcohol at a tender age and socialized with gangs. References Cox, S. M., Allen, J. M., Hanser, R. D., & Conrad, J. J. (2013). Juvenile justice: A guide to theory, policy, and practice. Sage Publications. Ryan, J.P., Williams, A.B. & Courtney, M.E., 2013. Adolescent Neglect, Juvenile Delinquency and the Risk of Recidivism. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(3), pp.454–465. Van Dalen, A. (2001). Juvenile violence and addiction: Tangled roots in childhood trauma. Journal of Social Work Practice in the Addictions, 1(1), 25-40. Read More