Juvenile delinquency remains a highly contested topic amongst criminologists. Several theorists have come up with explanations aimed at investigating the trends in juvenile crime. Two primary schools of criminology give different answers to young delinquency question. Classical theorists argue that the juvenile commit crime out of choice or free will while the positivist theorists believe that the environment influences the young to commit crimes (Hirschi, 2017).
The classical theory suggests that juveniles have the free will to make choices on how to behave. This theory further endorses a significant view suggesting that since minors can choose their actions, they should be able to admit and take responsibility for them. According to Hirschi (2017), free will of an individual gives them an opportunity to control the risks and benefits of committing crimes, and thus juveniles commit crimes with full knowledge of both the risks and benefits of their actions. Another important principle in the classical theory is rationality. The idea of rationality suggests that individuals choose their actions upon measuring the pleasure that they would get from their action.
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Positivism theory, on the other hand, suggests that juveniles’ behaviors are determined by either the outer or inner factors which are beyond their control. As a result, positivism theorists rule out the idea of free will and conclude that the individual committing crimes do not have a choice and are unable to control their behaviors. Moreover, the positivism theorists believe that an individual's behavior is determined by biological, psychological and sociological factors which cannot be controlled by the offender (Hirschi, 2017).
I believe that positivism theory best explains the juvenile delinquency. I believe that the actions of children are based on either inner or outer challenges. For example, peer influence provides a surface upon which juvenile crimes rise. The way the young offenders view authorities also affect their engagement in crime. Thus, it is only proper to associate positivism with juvenile delinquency.
Reference
Hirschi, T. (2017). On the compatibility of rational choice and social control theories of crime. In The reasoning criminal (pp. 105-118). Routledge.
