Juvenile Delinquency: The Child Savers Movement

Throughout the past and present, adolescents have been known to be easily influenced in their behavior. There are many factors that are involved in the socialization of children and adolescents that might cause them to become deviant. Many studies have been conducted over time, which have attempted to examine the cause of delinquency and how to prevent it. Some theories have proven to be effective, while others have been abandoned. Throughout this paper, we will go into detail about the history of juvenile delinquency. Then, we will continue to go into depth about how juvenile delinquency has evolved and how it is measured. Lastly, we will touch on the prevention and treatment of delinquency.
American juvenile justice can be traced back
Compared with the Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents, the Child Savers had a more optimistic approach in the possibility of reforming youth. As delinquent behaviors were believed to deteriorate the morals of society, the movement strove to find ways to control said behaviors. The Child Savers Movement saw the need for a broader scope of intervention in destitute and delinquent youth and believed delinquency could be prevented by placing children with farm families. However, opposition was faced in this idea of prevention, and by the mid to late 1800s, the government began taking control of the juvenile delinquency sector. By the late 1800s, most reform schools became operated by state and local governments. Despite the failure in this area, the Child Savers movement produced positive outcomes in protecting children’s health and welfare through the child labor laws. (Hemmons,
Fully understanding juvenile delinquency is something sociologists have attempted to do for years without completely succeeding. However, the construction of childhood and adolescence is a critical piece in understanding juvenile delinquency, because it plays such a vital role in the deviant acts of juveniles. Every child and individual grows up in their own unique environment with different factors that add to the construction of their childhood. These factors include individual biological, genetic factors, as well as environmental factors. Genetics play a role in juvenile delinquency, because we receive traits and qualities directly from our parents. This can have both positive and negative consequences as a result of getting your parents genes. In regards to juvenile delinquency, if a child has a parent or both parents who have been involved in criminal activity, in and out of jail, or even performing criminal acts in the home (drugs, violence, etc.), then the risk of the adolescent getting involved in that behavior greatly increases. A life of violence and crime becomes the only life they know in part due to their parents and genetics. (Hemmons,