In the present society, juvenile delinquency remains to be a pertinent sociological problem. Various academics within the discipline of sociology regard the phenomenon of juvenile delinquency in divergent angles. As such, multitudes of factors and theories abound except a single answer on how to curb it properly. Among some of the propounded theories, include the rational choice theory, the strain theory, and the biological theory, among others. A quick input of the phrase “juvenile delinquency” in search engines brings about an answer that this phenomenon refers to the perforation of antisocial behavior, which tends towards felonious activities among children or adolescents. Under the law, acts considered delinquent represent a special category of deviant acts. Moreover, deviant acts bring about a picture, which involves the gross violation of social rules that intrinsically regulate the behavior of persons within a social system (Cloward and Ohlin, 1988). Therefore, Chingtham (2015) translates juvenile delinquency as a global phenomenon that pertains to criminal acts perpetrated by children. In the United States, from the 1980s, the phrase juvenile delinquency has always taken the form of youth offenses. While the age at which most juveniles become adults differs from country to country, a majority of states consider the status of juveniles to be up to the age of 18 years ("Crime and criminal justice", 2017). A good example is a country such as Mauritius. On the other hand, some countries have set the juvenile age limit to be at 16 or 17. According to the United Nations World Youth Report, the incessant problem of juvenile delinquency is largely morphing into a more complicated and universal problem. In addition, the report states that presently, the crime prevention programs are either unequipped to handle the problem or do not exist in the first place. Among developing countries, the crisis looms large as such governments have actually done little to nothing in an effort to curb this phenomenon (United Nations, 2003).
The Assignment
Globally, the levels of violence and crime committed by youths or people below the legally mandated age of adulthood are on the rise, predominantly in urban regions. Moreover, an inverse relationship abounds between crime done and the age of the perpetrators, with a constant decrease in the age profile of criminals. To assess crime among young people, the United Nations Center for Human Settlement (Habitat), devised a tool known as the Youth Offender Profile through the Safer Cities Program. This tool, based on previous research done in countries such as Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania, indicates the ultimate goal of researchers in their efforts in the determination of how people, either within a group or as individuals, think (Stavrou, Assiago & Ravestijn, 2002). The study further states that a sufficient way of doing this is by observing them directly and repeatedly over a constant period. However, while repeated observations remain paramount in such studies, it remains impossible, especially while measured actions are those that deal with behaviors that are delinquent in nature or based on criminal activities. In addition, even if the observation was inherently possible, certain types of human-based behavior do not warrant direct observations. Behaviors such as beliefs, attitudes, and opinions fall under such classifications. Therefore, the use of surveys remains particularly necessary. Surveys are a systematic way of requesting people to volunteer pertinent information concerning their beliefs, attitudes, and opinions. This assignment presents a significant survey, which seeks to find out the realities of how people think and subsequently act. Thus, the success of a research survey rests solely on answers accorded, which should more or less match the present observable realities within social echelons. From the outset of this particular survey, it remains evident that no single approach accords the collection of necessary information that brings about an understanding of the reason youths engage in deviant and anti-social behaviors. Overall, causative theories remain as primary forerunners to the use of surveys in this assignment
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Interviewees
In carrying out research on delinquency, successful research needs to account for the various significant differences within divergent states. Perhaps, more vitally, various states differ in terms of their administrative structures, population size, geographical characteristics, and the levels of urbanization witnessed in them, to mention just a few of the recognizable divergence in them. Therein lies the challenges of developing flexible research designs that are both pragmatic and realistic enough to depict present sociological patterns and happenings within a country. Equally significant is the effort of the provision of a design that accords the most efficient scientific rigor providing the most reliable and cross-national assessments of behaviors that are deemed delinquent in nature. In order to accommodate comparative designs, the inclusion of modular approaches to both questionnaire construction as well as the design of samples was considered in this assignment. In coming up with the type of interviewees, this assignment employed modular designs, in that, it made a distinction between the core part, which represents the sample and the instrument, and additional modules, which included a standardization of participants among the various subsets within dissimilar regions. The primary purpose of this assignment is the identification of juvenile delinquency theoretical correlates, which in turn makes the representation of samples of utter importance (Maxfield and Babbie, 2001). As such, interviewees will be city-based individuals representing an average sample of 22 year olds, indicating a permission of evaluation in international similarities and differences, which correlates to the unremitting problem of juvenile delinquency. Moreover, such a sampling design based on a city allows for a hierarchical linear model that is multi-level in nature, thereby enabling the use of contextual information efficiently (Raudenbusch and Bryk, 2002). Such possibilities of multi-level analyses commensurately create novel properties to the research design of surveys.
Major Conclusions
In the survey research, demographic information indicates divergent results compared to international protocols of delinquency surveys (He & Marshall, 2006). According to protocol, age groups require a representation of equal proportions. Owing to the diversity and dynamic nature of the society, there was a slight overrepresentation of males accounting for 60 percent. Moreover, the obtained sample tended towards more representation of older students compared to younger ones. Results indicated that 65 percent of the total samples taken consisted of 23-24-year-olds, placing the mean age at 22.95 years. The sample appeared to have an overrepresentation of older students, particularly in view of the age bias. Moreover, demography indicates that over one-fifth of the total size of samples represented a consistent appearance of private school students, which indicated a larger result than the national proportion of students attending private schools. In relation to ethnicity, the survey study indicated a well-distributed dataset representing a consolidated effort on the disentanglement of ethnicity. In the study, ethnical diversity was well maintained, which comprised on Caucasians, Blacks, Hispanics and Asians. In terms of percentages, Caucasians comprised of 55 percent, Blacks 10 percent, Hispanics 25 percent and Asians 10 percent. On the other hand, demography in the study became more comprehensive since the represented family backgrounds had the consideration of being “disadvantaged.” As such the overall sample represented a mixture of affluence, deficiency, and immigration status. Compared to medium and small city samples, this sample survey conducted in a large city displayed major dissimilarities; alluding to society’s dynamic nature. Moreover, various other studies indicate that in less well-off areas, public schools tended to be more common than private schools, an association likely exacerbated by socio-economic conditions that were poorer in nature.
To explore the differences in behavioral processes further, significant behavioral and attitudinal measures came into question during the survey study. As pertains to gender, males were more likely than females to have engaged in deviant activities that were against the law, with males averaging 66.67 percent compared to 37.5 percent in females. Overall, 52 percent of the respondents reported to have engaged in deviant behaviors. Regarding the fairness or unfairness of high school experiences, boys were more likely to vandalize and participate in frequent violent behavior, indicating that they were more comfortable in situations of bullying, and this translated to the fact that their high school experience was much fairer. Among the participants, there was a consensus on the volatility of teen violence since a majority of them attested to the fact that the rate of violence has increased significantly over the past few years. Statistically, 90 percent of the respondents agreed to this increase in violent activities, indicating the prevailing occurrences in juvenile delinquency among the current youths globally. On the question of drug use, the survey study indicated without question that there was an equally incremental trend in drug use among teenagers, particularly those at the adolescence stage. 75 percent of the respondents attested to the fact that this is actually true from their observable experiences. In addition, it is worth noting that 35 percent of the participants agreed to the fact that they had actually tried drugs during their high school years; subsequently, indicating the pervasiveness of delinquent act among teenagers. In the study, a biasness ensued on the question of age in regards to juvenile delinquent acts. While a majority of the respondents, roughly 60 percent, verified the fact that it would be inappropriate to prosecute a 15-year old violent criminal as an adult, some strongly argued against this position. It became apparent of the increase and prevalence of juvenile delinquency when all participants confirmed the fact that they have ever faced abuse in their formative years as children
Discussion
During the course of this survey study, it became apparent that juvenile delinquency is rapidly morphing into a state of uncontrollable increase. This dire situation is aggravated by various risk factors that show incessant juvenile delinquency, truancy is a major concern among teenagers. Moreover, the fact that presently, educators are more lenient on the discipline of teenagers, higher rates of alcohol abuse and the use of hashish or marijuana is on a rapid increment, a trend that is a major threat to the future social development of children. Moreover, adding to the delinquent nature of high school kids is the increase in theft, particularly shoplifting, and bullying, representing a major category for victimization according to various studies done on delinquency (He & Marshall, 2006). On the other hand, in comparison to all other categories of victimization, such as shoplifting, vandalism, group fights, the possession of a weapon, among others, the rate of bullying has decreased significantly. In the study, it became ostensive that teachers need to find effective ways of dealing with behavioral problems among teenagers. While the days of striking students are long gone, there is a need for other pertinent measures that will go a long way into reducing or curbing the rates of juvenile delinquency currently witnessed globally. In the study, it became apparent that the severity and intensity of most juvenile offenses originated from and were largely determined by the economic, social, and cultural conditions of a particular background in which the perpetrator was residing in. Also, various indicators showed the fact that juvenile delinquency was part of the neighborhood in which they come from.
Opinion
Among the causes of and the various conditions for the development and persistence in delinquent trajectories is the universal evidence of an increase in these activities that correlates to economic declines, predominantly within poor neighborhoods (Schepers, 2016). In numerous global and national cases, numerous street children later morph into becoming young offenders, having already originated from backgrounds of violence in their immediate social environment either as perpetrators of these acts or as witnesses to them. Moreover, those children prone to delinquent behaviors have an educational attainment, which is inherently low; a basic form of social experience acquired from the family, which is rather insufficient; and their socio-economic environment represents an increased sense of poverty and under or overall unemployment. At every level within the social strata, divergent conditions and causes of juvenile crime persist (Pereira & Da Costa Maia, 2017). Such conditions include social institutions, organizations, social groups, as well as interpersonal relations. To this effect, the choices of juveniles in perpetrating delinquent actions ensue within divergent social levels and are a repercussion of a continual perpetuation of delinquency nurtured by numerous factors. Among these factors, the most significant are economic and social ones, cultural factors, family, migration, the subsets of offenders and victims, and delinquent identities among others (Schepers, 2016).
References
Chingtham, T. (2015). Causes of Juvenile Delinquency in the Higher Secondary SchoolStudents. IOSR Journal Of Research & Method In Education (IOSR-JRME) , 5 (5), 20-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.9790/7388-05522024
Crime and criminal justice . (2017). Unodc.org . Retrieved 5 December 2017, from http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/data-and-analysis/crime-and-criminal-justice.html
CULLEN, F. (1988). Were Cloward and Ohlin Strain Theorists? Delinquency and Opportunity Revisited. Journal Of Research In Crime And Delinquency , 25 (3), 214-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022427888025003002
He, N., & Marshall, I. (2006). A Multi-city Assessment of Juvenile Delinquency in the U.S.: A Continuation andExpansion of the International Self-Report Delinquency Study (ISRD) . NCJRS.
Maxfield, M., & Babbie, E. (2001). Research Methods for Criminal Justice and Criminology (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.
Pereira, M., & Da Costa Maia, Â. (2017). Juvenile Delinquency, Crime and Social Marginalization. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/9781787436114
Raudenbusch, S., & Anthony, B. (2002). Hierarchical Linear Models - Applications and Data Analysis Methods . Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Schepers, D. (2016). Causes of the causes of juvenile delinquency: Social disadvantages in the context of Situational Action Theory. European Journal Of Criminology , 14 (2), 143-159. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1477370816649622
STAVROU, S., ASSIAGO, J., & RAVESTIJN, S. (2002). YOUTH DELINQUENT SURVEYS A METHODOLOGY PAPER . UN-HABITAT.
United Nations. (2003). Juvenile DELINQUENCY (pp. 189-207).
