Examples Of The Strong African American Juvenile Delinquency

In criminology it is imperative to consider all aspects as to why people commit crime, and how crime should be handled and prevented. There have been several theories surfacing and explained over the years as criminologists seek the most prevalent solutions to ultimately reduce the rate of crime. Juvenile delinquency, which was once at an all time high in America, is now at a low. However, low remains too high and by implementing early intervention may effectively reduce crime levels. This paper will briefly describe the Strong African American Family program, its effectiveness, explore differential association theory and social bonding and control theory to explain its effectives, and last provide a recommendation of why the program should
There are so many children world wide exposed to parental instability and adverse early experiences that make them more vulnerable to long-term deviancy. The SAAF program has the potential to possibly lower African American juvenile delinquency and prevent long-term deviant behavior by implementing theoretical mechanisms of differential association theory and social bonding and control theory. Studies have consistently supported that there is a correlation between parental instability and juvenile delinquency in all cases. However, there seems to be a higher impact among African American adolescents. According to Edwin Sutherland’s theory (1947), deviant behavior is a result of a process of social learning, in which criminal definitions are learned either favorably or unfavorably, which is usually in many cases a matter of culture conflict (Matsueda and Heimer,
According to Matsueda and Heimer (1987), the more occurrences, and longer durations of positive reinforcement of acceptable definitions from prestigious sources such as the parents, will most likely have a greater impact on the child. Furthermore, the SAAF program is strengthening social bonds by in many cases creating and mending parent and child relationships. Research by Matsueda and Heimer (1987) supports that Hirschi’s (1969) social control theory suggests that most individuals refrain from crime because of their strong social bonds to society; such as attachments, commitments, involvement, and belief. SAAF is strengthening the families attachment bond by mending and/or creating relationships within African American families. SAAF is establishing an effort of commitment. The greater the investment of time, the more likely the parent will actually practice the learned skills, and the more likely the child will refrain from criminal acts. By requiring the families that volunteered for the study to physically attend sessions at a facility, SAAF promoted voluntary involvement, which also deters their availability to become involved in juvenile delinquent activities. Then