Juvenile Delinquents

Table of Contents I. Abstract
II. Introduction
III. Problem Statement IV. Literature Review V. Theory VI. Hypothesis VII. Research Questions VIII. Conceptualization and Operationalization IX. Methodology X. Data Collection XI. Data Analysis XII. Conclusion XIII. References

Abstract This paper will touch base on some data taken from the Gluecks classic study in 1940. In which he interviewed a sample of delinquents and non-delinquents boys ages 14, 25, and 32. Nonetheless these boys were reared in low-income neighborhoods. Based on concrete theory of informal social controls, I proposition a 2-step hypothesis that links structure and process: family poverty inhibits family processes of informal social contract, in turn increasing the likelihood of juvenile delinquency. This is very important to me because I have a willing mine to try and come up with an idea to
determine whether poverty really contribute to juvenile delinquency behavior. Introduction
The communities in today 's society face many obstacles that are destroying the foundation of family 's and juvenile delinquency.
The purpose of this research is to determine whether there is a cause-and-effect relationship between poverty and juvenile delinquency and enlighten the growing epidemic of juveniles who committed crimes and become incarcerated. By introducing literacy, programs in the poor communities and educating families on the importance of instilling strong family’s values with communities probably would decrease juvenile’s crimes.
By discussing the correlation between poverty and juvenile delinquency, the goal is to provide information collected and attempt to open the minds of the readers, the significance of the growing rate of juvenile crime within our community. Juvenile crime is growing at a fast and rapid rate; because juveniles, who lives in an unstable home and poor neighborhoods are, bound to be a risk because children from poor communities are vulnerable to detrimental influences.
The mission of the program for juvenile literacy will aid in the transition of juveniles becoming delinquent. This program will provide a family oriented environment that will promote literacy and adult productive skills for life. This program will not just focus on the juveniles, but the entire family. Therefore, within this program, policy makers will provide programs for poor families to reduce juvenile delinquency. My main focus in juvenile delinquency is because it is growing at a fast rate in today 's society. Individuals are been incarcerated at an early age steaming between the age of thirteen and younger. The significance of this research will be to develop alternative for juveniles who become involved in delinquent behavior. I would like to try and come up with some alternatives for juvenile who get caught up in delinquent behavior.
Problem Statement
Juvenile crime is a social problem of remarkable proportion for youths in large cities and rather small neighborhoods. Despite the fact that Dryfoos note that it were approximately 50% of the 28 million Americans youth between the age of 10 and 17 that engage in at least two or more high risk behavioral categories: alcohol abuse, school failure, unsafe sex and delinquency crime.
Due to research it was stated that around 1990 that the number of Americans living in high poverty census tracts it nearly doubled. Despite the fact that the growth in concentration in poverty of Americans and its potential effects on adolescent 's crime is of considerable importance since the spatial contribution of poor families and is closely related to government decisions regarding how to provide housing service to the poor families and pertaining to the construction of public housing situation. This factor according to criminologist research has linked the probability of a child becoming involved in crime growing up these circumstances.
Literature Review
Nonetheless this paper will focus on the issue whether poverty contributes to juveniles becoming delinquent. Accordingly, the accumulation o risk factors-especially when they are combined with poverty makes engagement in criminal activity and confinement more likely. In turn, the presence of multiple risks makes any positive effects of detention more difficult to product (Huston, 1991).
It is hypothesized that oversized areas are more likely to produce delinquent than those who are not. The following two reviews support this hypothesis: New research suggests that concentrated urban poverty has a significant role in determining if adolescents will involved in criminal activity. Further, environmental factors associated with poverty, such as exposure to violence and high crime rates, influence individual 's decision well into adult life. These are part of the finding presented at the January 19th Congressional Research Briefing titled Juvenile Crime: Causes and Consequences organized by the Northwestern University/University of Chicago (Joint Center for Poverty Research) and sponsored by U. S. Senator Joseph R. Biden (D-DE) and Arien Specter (R-PA).
According to Professor Jens Ludwig, Crime in the U.
S. is concentrated in urban areas. Specifically, while the 20 largest cities in American accounted for approximately one-third of all homicides in 1992, their population represents approximately one-eighth of the nation. Much research in criminology has linked the probability of a child becoming involved in crime with his having grown up in a poor family, and/or in neighborhoods with high crime and poverty rates. Between 1970 and 1990, the number of Americans living in high poverty in American living in high census tract nearly doubled. The growth in the concentration of poverty in America and its potential effects on adolescent crime is of considerable importance since the spatial distribution of poor families is closely related to government decisions regarding how to provide housing services to poor families and pertaining to the construction of public housing contribute to the high rise of juvenile
crime.
Ludwig stressed that low-income minorities in the United States are more likely to live in high poverty neighborhood increases the possibility that teens will be involved in crime, then the difference in the number of minorities and white living in poverty neighborhoods could account for the difference in offending and victimization rates as well. Further, Ludwig stresses that as cities across the United States tear down public housing projects and as society makes decisions regarding the relocation of poor families, policy makers should take into account the benefits of changes in the volume of crime. Considering that the annual cost of crime in the U. S. is about one trillion dollars, if restructuring housing policy can prevent juvenile form getting involved in crimes, and then the costs of doing so might be well worth the investment.
Professor Laub 's research closely examines the Glueeks ' Juvenile Delinquency Study in 1940. Researchers interviewed a sample of delinquent and non-delinquent boys age 14, 25, and 32. The boys all grew up in the same poor neighborhoods and the study aimed to discover what factors differentiate boys who became serious and persistent delinquents form those who avoided delinquency. Laub has conducted a follow-up study and study and has succeeded in contacting many of the original delinquent subjects. This the only criminological study in the world that contains data from birth to age 70 for a large group of serious, persistent juvenile offenders.
The results indicate that juvenile from poor families are pronged to become delinquent that those who are not. The study conducted surveys on families who lived in poor neighborhoods and juveniles from poor communities to show the correlation between poverty and juvenile delinquent. They also view their family structure and socioeconomic status as variable contributing to criminal behavior in juveniles. The results confirm the hypothesis that poverty contributes to juvenile’s delinquency.
The major focus was to show the relationship between poverty and juvenile delinquency and other factors that contribute to juvenile crime such as; the relationship between the maturing individual and his or her changing environment (Bronfenbrenner, 1979). This basis model is known as developmental systems theory (Lerner, 1991:27-32) because development is viewed as occurring on much level simultaneously: biological, psychological, interpersonal, familial, societal, cultural physical ecological and historical. In this field of adolescent development, developmental models constitute the predominant theoretical approach. However, almost no information about the links system between youth development and the experience on incarceration exists.
There are at least seven developmental tasks American adolescents confront establishing identity, cultivating symbiotic relationships, defining physical attractiveness, investing in a value system, obtaining a education, separating from family and achieving independence, and obtaining and maintaining gainful employment (Lerner, 1993). Because these are each culturally loaded issues, youth are confronted with many obstacles, or risks, in their attempts to achieve them.
As a final point, the topic of attachment in relation to juvenile crime is addressed using a qualitative study. In a research article by Ludwig (2000), a qualitative study was conducted to investigate the effect that poverty has on juvenile delinquency. Two questions were addressed in this study to support the main topic of the paper. First, does poverty contribute to juvenile delinquency? Second, are children from families who are not poor pronged to become delinquent? The sample consisted of 142 lower and upper class male ages 12 to 24.
Ludwig examined the link between the individuals. Ludwig randomly assigned low-income families living in public housing into three different treatment groups. The study revealed that low-income minorities in the United States are more likely to live in poverty neighborhoods than low-income whites. Thus, living in high poverty neighborhoods increases the possibility that teens will be involved in crime.
Past conventional wisdom held that children from poor and working class backgrounds, that is, youths born into the "dangerous classes" are much more likely to engage in delinquent behavior. The historical analysis focused their attention on urban poor and working-class youths, many of whom were children of immigrants. Even as late, as the 1950 's and the early 1960 's, experts argue that class background was a significant explanatory variable for delinquent propensities. This presumption has since been vigorously challenged, as statistical data began to indicate during the 1960s that delinquency is also quite common among middle-class youth (Magnusson, 1993).
The reasons for middle-class delinquency include parental pressure, peer pressure, uncertainty for the future, experimentation with intoxicating substances, experimenting with alternative lifestyles, and strong youth subcultures. Having considered the observation theory continues to that middle-class delinquency is significant problem, one must keep in mind that it identifies certain dysfunctional norms among very poor urban subcultures. By all means having considered and accepted the observation that middle-class delinquency is a substantial problem, one must moreover keep in mind that theorists continue to recognize certain dysfunctional norms among very poor urban subcultures. Research on the inner city underclass has found that large numbers of the urban poor remain caught in a chronic generational cycle of poverty, low educational achievement, teenage parenthood, unemployment, and welfare dependence. Underclass theorists argue that antisocial behaviors have become entrenched norms within chronically impoverished inner-city environments, so that delinquency and criminality are now endemic facts of life.
Theory
In this stage of the research process, it will be theorized that poverty leads to juvenile delinquency. The independent variables are poverty; the independent variable is juvenile delinquency. Hypothesis
In this stage of the research process, the hypotheses will be that juveniles who come from poor families are more likely to become delinquency that those who are not.
Research Questions
Research question 1: Does poverty cause juvenile delinquency?
Research question 2: Are children from families who are not poor pronged to become delinquency? Conceptualization and Operationalization
The independent variable is the cause variable, which in this research process will be poverty. In which poverty is deprivation of those things that determine the quality of life including food, clothing, and shelter.
The dependent variable is the effect variable, which in this research process, will be juvenile delinquency. Juvenile delinquency is defined as criminal acts performed by juveniles.
The opertionalization method that will be used in this research would be the measurement of the annual income of families.
The measurement operationalization will be based on the family 's income level. For example, the poverty level of families are $10,000 and under. Juveniles coming from families in this particular income bracket will more likely commit crime and become juvenile delinquent. Because these juveniles want the finest things in life such as clothes, shoes, money and cars.
Methodology
The focus of the research will be geared toward families throughout the United States. A total number of 71 families with income lower that $10,000 and 71 families with an annual income of 10,000 and above. Next, a case study will be conducted gathering information through surveys, and direct observation; survey research would be appropriate for data collection. After the information is gathered and conclusions are made, researchers will get the views of other professionals with knowledge of the social problem; such as correctional officer, educators, counselors, and parents.
Data Collections
The sample methods that will be used in conducting this research will be probability-sampling method; questionnaires would be constructed to collect information. The subject will be selected by relying on a random selection, leaving everything to change. By using, a large sample of 100 or more will have profound effect on the output of the research being conducted.
Data Analysis
This survey research is quantitative which will be primarily derived from interviews, survey, and direct observation of the target groups, in which this research will be based on juveniles. This information gathered on the independent and dependent variable will be conveyed to a table and chart to verify or disqualify the hypothesis. The information would be transferred to a table or to demonstrate the outcome.
Conclusion
In recent years, children and their problems have been receiving attention of both government and the society. But it has been seen that the problems are enormous and never ending, thus resulting in lack of everything that has been done till today. If these problems are not curbed soon then the growth of the children will be hampered giving a dark future to our country. The amendments that have been raised should be implemented in such a manner that the fruitful result is achieved. The social, economic and other factors which have been the root causes of Juvenile Delinquency need to be dealt with at the very initial stage. Every society must, therefore, devote full attention to ensure that children are properly cared for and brought up in a proper atmosphere, where they could receive adequate training, education and guidance in order that they may be able to have their rightful place in the society when they grow up.
The results will confirm the hypothesis that juveniles who come from poor families are more likely to be delinquent than those who are not. Juvenile delinquency in a growing epidemic with young adolescents in small and large communities, the correlation between poverty and juvenile delinquency plays a significant role in the rising crime rate. Policy makers will introduce various programs to try to eliminate this growing problem. This social problem not only affects the family structure but also the community as a whole.
Symbolic interaction theories suggest that roles assigned within families can have an important effect on how children define others with whom they are likely to have contacts. A variety of types of evidence suggests that delinquents have little self-esteem. Other studies suggest that delinquents lack empathic responses to those around them.
Therefore, until this issue has been addressed as a social problem rather than a community problem the rate of juvenile crime and incarnation will continue to rise and the adolescents whom living in poor neighborhoods will continue to be at risk of becoming delinquent. References
Bohm, R. M. (2001). A Primer on delinquency and crime theory (2nd ed.). Blemond, CA.
Bronffenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University.
Edward P. Mulvey, Michael W. Arthur, & N. Dickon Reppucci, (1997). "Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency: A Review of the Research", The Prevention Researcher, Volume 4, Number 2, Pages 1-4
Huston, A.C. (Edd). (1992). Children in poverty: Child development and public policy. New York: Cambridge University Press
Lerner, R.M. (1991). Changing organism-context relations as the basis process of development: A developmental-contextual perspective. Development Psychology, 27-32.
Lerner, R. M. (1993). Early adolescence: Towards an agenda for the integration of research, Policy and intervention. Early Adolescence: Perspectives on research, policy and Intervention (pp. 1-13). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum
Magnusson, D. (1998). Individual development from an international: A Longitudinal/study. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Siegel, Larry J., and Brandon Welsh. (2011). Juvenile Delinquency: The Core. 4th ed.

Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/cengage Learning