Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile Delinquency


Remember doing something mischievous or wrong when you were a kid and getting

the label "delinquent" slapped on you ?  Did you ever wonder what it meant ?

That is what my topic for today is . . . juvenile delinquency.  In this report I

will:  define juvenile delinquency, give the extent of juvenile delinquency,

give some suggestions on what causes juvenile delinquency, and what is being

done in various communities to deal with this growing problem. The legal term

juvenile delinquent was established so that young lawbreakers could avoid the

disgrace of being classified in legal records as criminals. Juvenile

delinquency laws were designed to provide treatment, rather than punishment, for

juvenile offenders.  Young delinquents usually are sent to juvenile courts,

where the main aim is to rehabilitate offenders, rather than to punish them.

But the term juvenile delinquency itself has come to imply disgrace in today's

society. A youngster can be labeled a delinquent for breaking any one of a

number of laws, ranging from robbery to running away from home.  But an action

for which a youth may be declared a delinquent in one community may not be

against the law in another community.  In some communities, the police ignore

many children who are accused of minor delinquencies or refer them directly to

their parents.  But in other communities, the police may refer such children to

a juvenile court, where they may officially be declared delinquents.  Crime

statistics, though they are often incomplete and may be misleading, do give an

indication of the extent of the delinquency problem.  The FBI reports that

during the early 1980's, about two-fifths of all arrests in the United States

for burglary and arson were of persons under the age of 18.  Juveniles also

accounted for about one-third of all arrests for larceny.  During any year,

about 4 % of all children between the ages of 10 and 18 appear in a juvenile

court. The percentage of youngsters in this group who are sent to court at

least once is much higher.  A third or more of those boys living in the slum

areas of large cities may appear in a juvenile court at least once. Girls are

becoming increasingly involved in juvenile delinquency.  Today, about one of

every five youngsters appearing in juvenile court is a girl.  In the early

1900's, this ratio was about 1 girl to every 50 or 60 boys. Sociologists have

conducted a number of studies to determine how much delinquency is not reported

to the police.  Most youngsters report taking part in one or more delinquent

acts, though a majority of the offenses are minor.  Experts have concluded that

youthful misbehavior is much more common than is indicated by arrest records and

juvenile court statistics.  Many studies have been made in an effort to

determine the causes of delinquency.  Most of these have focused on family

relationships or on neighborhood or community conditions.  The results of these

investigations have shown that it is doubtful that any child becomes a

delinquent for any single reason.  Family Relationships, especially those

between parents aThis is ONLY a preview of the article. If you would like to view the entire document, you must subscribe to Electronic References. Please register below now!


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