Example 2k word juvenile justice

tyrice knight

In the recent past, there has been a significant increase in the number of young people engaging in crime.

Many young people accused of a variety of crimes are subjected to the juvenile justicesystem. According to

statistics, approximately 2.1 million young people in the United States below 18 years are arrested each year.

The juvenile courts in the United States have managed to dispose of over 1.7 million delinquency cases.

Detained young adults are subjected to negative circumstances such as trauma, sexual violence, death, and

risk of suicide. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate three theories of juvenile delinquency and outline why

the theories are the strongest contributors to juvenile delinquency.

The General strain theory comprises one of the strongest theories in juvenile delinquency. The theory was

developed by Robert Agnew. According to the general strain theory, young people are forced into crime by a

variety of social forces. The general strain theory shares similar features with the social structure genre. Social

relationships have a significant impact on juvenile delinquency. Youths tend to create new social relationships.

Some of these relationships have positive outcomes while other has negative outcomes. Negative relationships

tend to attract juveniles into criminal activities. Relationships, where juveniles are not treated how they would

want to be treated, tend to favor engagement in crime. The general strain theory is purely focused on

relationships and how they influence engagement in crime.

Young people also exhibit a strong sense of emotions. Some engage in crime due to anger and sadness from

negative relationships. Stress and strain are considered prevalent among young people. Many adolescents

engage in drug and substance use due to peer influence and stress. The structure of American society tends to

make people in low-income

families vulnerable to crime. The strain in the acquisition of essential and basic needs triggers juveniles to

engage in criminal behavior. Some juveniles receive rewards that can be considered inadequate relative to

their effort. This generates stress and discomfort that make juveniles turn to deviance to accomplish essential

goals in life. The goals set in American society can be perceived to be unattainable which puts juveniles under

intensive pressure. This further instigates crime.

The second theory is the Life-course theory. According to these theories, juveniles are subjected to diverse

social-economic and personal factors that result in their engagement in crime. During the early years of growth

and development, youths undergo several transitions such as childhood to adolescence to adulthood. As these

transitions happen, there is a significant change in the nature of social interactions. According to the life course

theory, some juveniles can be considered persistent offenders. Their offending and criminal activities start

during childhood as worsen as they advance in age. The life-course theory advocates that criminal behavior

originates in the early life stages. A high-risk environment in the early stages of growth tends to subject

juveniles to a high risk of engagement in crime and criminal behavior.

Children acquire or inherit anti-social behaviors through early rearing experiences such as poverty, inadequate

parenting, and disrupted family bonds. These deficiencies are reflected by neuropsychological variations such

as hyperactivity, cognitive deficiency, and difficult temperament. In the past few decades, there has been an

increase in family disruptions in the United States. Cases of divorce are on the rise which subjects children to

psychological trauma. The increase in these family trends triggers negative emotions among juveniles which

encourage them to commit crimes.

The third theory is the Psychodynamic theory that was developed by Sigmund Freud's concept of id, superego,

and ego. According to Sigmund, the three forces exist in all humans. Juveniles have impulsive desires and

impulses which are represented by the id component in Sigmund Freud's psychodynamic model structure. The

other element that can be accessed in juvenile engagement in crime and criminal behavior is morality (Klin &

Jones, 2018). Each society and community has unique moral values which impact juvenile engagement in

crime and criminal activities. This feature is supported by the superego element in Sigmund Freud's

psychosocial theory. The third element is ego. Ego encompasses the unique norms in the society such as

attitudes, believes, and behaviors the society deems acceptable or unacceptable. According to Sigmund Freud,

in some instances, there exist a conflict between the forces of ego, superego, and id. These conflicts trigger

deviant and delinquent behavior in juveniles.

The general strain theory, psychodynamic theory, and life course theories can be considered the strongest

contributors to juvenile delinquency as explained above. As the cases of juveniles being subjected to the

criminal justice system in the United States increase, it is essential to look into the causes of the increase. It is

essential to support juveniles going through justice systems to ensure they are protected from adverse

consequences such as sexual violence and trauma.