Reducing Juvenile Deliquency - Research Paper Example

Topic: Reducing Juvenile Delinquency Thesis ment: Juvenile delinquency can be defined as crimes committed by those that under the age of eighteen. Such crimes could be such as addiction to and/or trafficking of drugs, larceny, vandalism, physical abuse of peers or adults, truancy, etc. Juvenile delinquency has been attributed to multiple sources such as single parent families or mental illness, but do not provide definitive clues in strategies for reducing or preventing juvenile delinquency. ‘Absence of role models and lack of community involvement appear to be related to juvenile delinquency.

Therefore, organizations targeted toward youth which involve counseling or mentoring by role models and community involvement should be an element in reducing juvenile delinquency. The thesis question would thus be: Does the involvement of those under eighteen in formalized organizations such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4H Club etc. lead to lower juvenile delinquency rates in a community? Book: Shoemaker, D. (2010). Theories of delinquency: an examination of explanations of delinquent behavior.

New York: Oxford University Press. This book examines the current theories of delinquency such as explanation of causation, control theories, psychological theories, labeling and female delinquency. This current book gives a comprehensive review of the theoretical underpinnings of delinquency. Academic Peer Reviewed Articles Anderson-Butcher, D. (2002-10-1). Factorial and criterion validity of scores of a measure of belonging in youth development programs. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 62: 857-876, This article investigates the overall tenet of Boys’ and Girls’ Club that ‘belonging’ can reduce juvenile delinquency.

The authors states that there is evidence that this is a cohesive force among juveniles that attend the activities of the Club, but that the linkage to reducing juvenile delinquency is not clear. This indicates an unclear relationship between youth organizations and juvenile delinquency. Cohen, M. (2010-10-01). An Outcome Evaluation of the YouthBuild USA Offender Project. Youth violence and juvenile justice, 8(4), 373-385. This recent article looks at the role of organizations and their ability to curtail juvenile delinquency.

The author examines as a case study, the YouthBuild USA Offender Project and finds that there has been a reduction of repeated crimes among the participants. This research indicates that in this case study recidivism can be reduced by youth organization, Editorial Fixing the mistakes of young offenders. (2011, April 3). New York Times (New York Edition), p. A20 This editorial states that a significant amount of youth is being processed directly to the normal prison system and most for non-violent crimes.

Some of the state governments are attempting to address this issue by reducing the number of offenses that transfer a child to an adult correctional institution and expanding the role of the state juvenile justice system. This article indicates a need for some intermediary organizations such as youth organizations to act as prevention agents or to decrease repeat offenders or for advocacy in juvenile criminal cases. Internet Website Delinquencyprevention.org. http://www.delinquencyprevention.

org/ This website presents many sources about preventing juvenile delinquency. It covers items such as getting grants to links to specific reports. This site is helpful in determining the variety of youth organizations involved in prevention and the environment which they operate.