Explaining The Relationship Between Risk Factors And Juvenile Delinquency
The two theories that explain the relationship between risk factors and juvenile delinquency are social learning theory and social control theory.
Social learning theory explains how families, schools, peers, and communities can influence delinquent behavior. According to Bandura (1977), risk factors can influence delinquent behaviors, especially if children are exposed to negative stimuli and antisocial peers (p. 192). Association with delinquent peers increase the likelihood of delinquency, physical aggression, drug use, gang affiliation, and violence (Howell, 2008, p. 76).
Social control theory suggest that youths engage in criminal activity when their bonds to society has weakened. If these bonds are weakened early in life, the children …show more content…
Nevertheless, this has not always been the case. In the past, children were sentenced to prison time with adults. They had to suffer long prison terms and severe corporal punishment. Some children were also sentenced to death penalty. Reformers concerned about the inappropriate and harsh punishments decided to establish a separate court system for juvenile offenders (Roberts, 2000). According to McMahon (as cited in Roberts, 2000), juvenile courts were created to help children in trouble with the law rather than punish them. Juvenile courts were also created based on the principle of parens patriae. This meant that court could act as a guardian or a parent interested in helping and protecting children. In this new court system, hearings would not be open to the public. Proceeding would be informal, and if children were convicted, they would be placed on correctional facilities separated from adult …show more content…
Many of the most popular school-based prevention programs of that time, such as, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), and boot camps, were ineffective. Most of those programs even increased the likelihood of future delinquency (Sherman et al., 1998, p. 7). In the early 1990s, the preventive strategies to reduce crime included: removal of urban children to rural settings, residential training school, industrial school, job programs, and summer camps. None of those programs were effective in reducing juvenile delinquency (Greenwood, 2008, p. 187). Only during the past twenty years have researchers started to identify the risk factors that cause juvenile delinquency and the school-based interventions that persistently reduce the likelihood of future delinquency.
Social learning theory explains how families, schools, peers, and communities can influence delinquent behavior. According to Bandura (1977), risk factors can influence delinquent behaviors, especially if children are exposed to negative stimuli and antisocial peers (p. 192). Association with delinquent peers increase the likelihood of delinquency, physical aggression, drug use, gang affiliation, and violence (Howell, 2008, p. 76).
Social control theory suggest that youths engage in criminal activity when their bonds to society has weakened. If these bonds are weakened early in life, the children …show more content…
Nevertheless, this has not always been the case. In the past, children were sentenced to prison time with adults. They had to suffer long prison terms and severe corporal punishment. Some children were also sentenced to death penalty. Reformers concerned about the inappropriate and harsh punishments decided to establish a separate court system for juvenile offenders (Roberts, 2000). According to McMahon (as cited in Roberts, 2000), juvenile courts were created to help children in trouble with the law rather than punish them. Juvenile courts were also created based on the principle of parens patriae. This meant that court could act as a guardian or a parent interested in helping and protecting children. In this new court system, hearings would not be open to the public. Proceeding would be informal, and if children were convicted, they would be placed on correctional facilities separated from adult …show more content…
Many of the most popular school-based prevention programs of that time, such as, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE), and boot camps, were ineffective. Most of those programs even increased the likelihood of future delinquency (Sherman et al., 1998, p. 7). In the early 1990s, the preventive strategies to reduce crime included: removal of urban children to rural settings, residential training school, industrial school, job programs, and summer camps. None of those programs were effective in reducing juvenile delinquency (Greenwood, 2008, p. 187). Only during the past twenty years have researchers started to identify the risk factors that cause juvenile delinquency and the school-based interventions that persistently reduce the likelihood of future delinquency.