Literature Review on Juvenile Delinquency
Introduction
Juvenile is a term used to refer to those individuals who have not attained the majority age 18 years and above. On the other hand, delinquency refers to illegal or antisocial behaviors and activities conducted by individuals. Some of the delinquent behaviors include substance abuse, violence, sex offenses, and property crimes. In this section, however, I will concentrate mainly on juvenile delinquency and the impacts of substance abuse and gang involvement. A deep exploration of the studies conducted concerning the two will be provided. Moreover, the literature on the common drugs used by minors will be given, clearly stating the statistics in the United States. Additionally, to enable the reader to understand why minors indulge in substance use, I will touch on the factors contributing to the youth’s drug use. Lastly, the literature will explore the possible preventive measures that can be undertaken to avoid juvenile delinquency.
Impact of Drug use on Juvenile Delinquency
Substance use is a common habit adopted by many individuals globally, and due to the increased availability of drugs, minors have started copying this habit. This usage results in the development of offensive behaviors and practices. A research study was conducted on 4,000 youths, all below majority age, to determine the factors and behaviors leading to delinquency. The study utilized three projects; Denver Youth Survey, Pittsburgh Youth Study, and Rochester Youth Development Study. The research mainly investigated the teenager’s delinquent behavior, drug usage, attitudes, and the perception of the aftermaths of delinquency. Additionally, they observed the nature of the family and community from where the subjects came from and the parental dispositions and parenting practices. Both the subjects and guardians were interviewed to obtain relevant data for the study.
They found that most of the minors used drugs, and this directly contributed to delinquency. Regardless of the minor’s age, sex, and racial faction, the extent to which they were involved in drug use directly reflected their delinquent behaviors. Therefore, drug abuse directly equated to the participation of a teenager in delinquent activities. Moreover, they noted that alcohol was the major drug that the juveniles used, followed by marijuana. The use of hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, came at a later age. Half of the subjects were using alcohol by age 16, and about a quarter was using Marijuana at the same age. (Greenbaum, Stuart, 1994). More so, the street crimes commenced at a young age whereby both the Pittsburgh and Denver studies indicated that around 10 percent of 7 years boys had engaged in at least one street crime and 20 percent at age 9. Similarly, at age 17, the researchers recorded 40 percent, indicating that the crime rate increased with age. (Greenbaum, Stuart, 1994).
The relationship between teenagers’ drug use and delinquency is reciprocal in that both influence each other. Drug use can result in criminal activities, and also participating in criminal practices can lead to substance abuse. Drug use influences juvenile delinquency in that when teenagers get addicted to these drugs; they find ways to fund their lifestyle. Therefore, they engage in criminal activities such as robbery, drug selling, prostitution, youth homicides to raise money to purchase the drugs. (Edward P. Mulvey, Carol A. Schubert, & Laurie Chassin, 2010) Moreover, drug use at an early age causes permanent damage to the brain, given that the brain fully develops at age 25. The drugs affect the Prefrontal Cortex of the brain, which aids in assessment, emotional regulation, and decision-making. (Substance Abuse & Juvenile Delinquency: Prevention & Correction Strategies, 2018) Henceforth, drug use impairs youths’ capability in making sound decisions, which results in socially unacceptable and illegal activities such as drug trafficking, prostitution, and homicide.
Additionally, the youth’s ability to deeply internalize the consequences of an action before committing it is highly affected by the drugs. A study conducted on 113 youth offenders in a State detention facility showed that 82 percent of the juveniles were heavy drug users, 14 percent frequent users, and the other 4 percent irregularly used drugs. ( Crowe, A. H., & United States, 1998). Hence, indicating that all the minor detainees had used drugs at one particular point in their lives, which only proves that drug use influences juvenile delinquency. Therefore, there is a need to develop programs to prevent children from using drugs at an early age, which will significantly reduce or fully eliminate the delinquent behaviors observed in minors using drugs.
Impact of Gangs on Juvenile Delinquency
Gang membership significantly influences delinquent behaviors portrayed by minorities. It serves as an accelerator which induces the offensive habits and characters. The Rochester study, which experimented on one thousand 6th and 7th graders in public schools, found that those minors in gangs had a high crime rate. Additionally, the seriousness of the crime that the teenager perpetrated was greatly affected by gang membership. The researcher’s findings indicated that 88 percent of the youngsters with a permanent gang membership committed serious crimes while only 64 percent committed street crimes. . (Greenbaum, Stuart, 1994).
Similarly, the Seattle Social Development Project (SSDP), which studied 808 children from different racial backgrounds since they joined the 5th grade, indicated the same results. The analysis of results done both cross-sectionally and longitudinally revealed that the offense rate of minors involved in gangs was considerably higher compared to non-gang members. In the self-reported offenses, both violent and non-violent, the rate was higher for gang members aged 15 than the non-members. This section involved; hitting the teacher, inciting a fight, or applying force to attain things, while the non-violent involved; drug peddling, stealing an object worth 50 dollars and breaking into homes. (CITE) Likewise, the same pattern prevailed on the court recorded individual offense rates. The violent court recorded offenses included; murder, aggravated and simple assault, thievery, sexual assault, among others during the non-violent entailed; sex work, burglary, trespassing, possession of the stolen property, and others. (Battin-Pearson, Sara & Thornberry, Terence & Hawkins, J. & Krohn, Marvin, 1998) Therefore, demonstrating that, even though juvenile delinquency can be associated with other contributing factors, gang membership plays a major part. It can be directly linked to the minor’s participation in both violent and non-violent offenses.