For many years, juvenile delinquency has remained a significant area of discussion among criminologists, psychologists, and sociologists. In a bid to find the causes of the issue, several theories have been postulated to assess the reasons behind the etiology of criminal behavior among young citizens. The theoretical views can be classified as individual causes, societal causes, social process, and social interaction. Individual causes include factors such as low intelligence, physical defects, or psychological disorders that predispose an individual toward anti-social behavior (Clinard, Quinney, & Wildeman, 2014). The first theory that explains juvenile delinquency at an individual level is control theory. According to the control theory, a lack of goals leads to a lack of commitment and an uncontrolled life that could eventually lead to delinquent behavior. Secondly, the theory of mental disability best explains why criminal behavior among the juveniles can happen as a result of the differences that operate at the individual level.
Societal causes involve factors that lead to delinquent behavior as a result of exposure to various environmental aspects that occur at the level of society. For instance, the social disorganization theory explains how the lack of social bonds at the level of the community can result in deviant behavior among the juveniles. It is regarded as a social cause because it assesses the absence of cohesion and the various constraints within the society that assist in preventing delinquency. Another theory that focuses on the societal causes includes the conflict theory which attempts to delve into how the social structures in the community contribute to crime among the young. For instance, when youths are deliberately excluded from the adult work life, their likelihood to engage in crime as revenge or compensation remains high. Clinard et al., (2014) asserted that the suppression of the youths can result in a revolt or rebellion in the form of delinquent behavior.
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The social process theories involve those that deal with how individuals change and develop over a particular period. For instance, the differential opportunity theory is an example of a theory in this group that seeks to explain the etiology of criminal behavior by assessing the social process or development. The theory postulates that a poor child growing and developing in the slums can engage in crime because of the inadequate opportunities in their environment. However, if the environment is reversed, the child will likely move away from the life of crime. Also, the theory asserts that if a privileged child is compelled to live in a deprived environment, their propensity towards crime will increase (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). The neutralization theory also takes the social process background by assessing how juveniles transit from law abiding to law breaking citizens. As a person grows, they are exposed to a host of factors that eventually causes them to drift from law-abiding individuals to delinquents.
Lastly, social interaction causes depend on the various interactions and associations that individuals have at the societal level. The labeling theory is a good example in this regard. The theory states that people behave in certain ways that reflect the way others label them in society. Therefore, when one treats a juvenile as a criminal likely increases their chance of developing deviant behavior. The second theory in this category is known as the differential association. Through interaction with others, people can develop attitudes, values, motives, and techniques leading to criminal behavior (Siegel & Welsh, 2014). It is therefore regarded as a learning theory where individuals acquire certain behaviors due to societal interactions. The theory further states that people will break the law if they have learned to adapt a particular behavior as an acceptable norm through interactions.
References
Clinard, M. R., Quinney, R., & Wildeman, J. (2014). Criminal behavior systems: A typology. Routledge.
Siegel, L. J., & Welsh, B. C. (2014). Juvenile delinquency: Theory, practice, and law . Cengage Learning.
