Criminology

Juvenile delinquency is an issue which has already echoed so loudly within the four walls of the modern society today. This appears to be one of the most serious youth issues that have the greatest implications and effects on the moral standards of the contemporary generation. In discussing this issue, it is first important to understand what juvenile delinquency or juvenile crime is. Basically, according to the popular perception, a Juvenile crime is any transgression done by an adolescent. Some of the legal systems have already documented laws for dealing with adolescence crimes. Nowadays, several theories of different natures have already been established so as to create a clearer and a more comprehensive grasp and understanding of what juvenile crimes are. These theories are seen as essential aspects in the general study of crimes which has a lot of implications. Firstly, it was found that youths between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five tend to perpetrate a large number of offenses and second, through the scrutiny of the reasons for such offences, it appears logical to concentrate on those committed by the youth. Most of the youth arrests in the United States are in the forms of theft, simple assault, drug abuse, disorderly conduct, and curfew violations (Lawyer Shop). This paper examines a number of aspects regarding juvenile crimes.

Studying Crimes
The classical study of crime emphasizes on the motives of the offence, which is at rest not beyond or outside of a person but within their community. Those who commit crimes are said to be driven by sensible curiosity of their own, need for freedom, thus, what is expected from an individual in this situation is needed to be put into consideration. The present philosophical system reorganizing only facts and observe phenomenon procedure puts concentration on custom. A kind of study of crimes various attributes delves in an offense and in the act of finding people guilty of minor crime. This proves very significant in the community as it presents the strength or the weakness of established laws in a certain society. This theory actually reveals what Robert Merton dealt with. It is said that one reason people commit an offense are is because of hardships that an individual goes through in order to achieve his or her goals the right way. Good examples are those who performed poorly in their academics, they find it hard to be successful in life. Situations will eventually force them to commit themselves in unacceptable behavior and practices so as to meet their goals.  Walklate (2003) quoting Robert Merton proposes five things that people use to adapt to the situations in which difficult choices have to be made

Rebellion- individuals who nullify the communitys accepted object of ambition and methods of producing results by making a new procedure of acknowledging means and the set aims.
Conformity- this refers to those who comply with the systems object of ambition and the path of achieving it.

Ritualism- These are the people who serve to obtain into the communal system, the accepted ways but lose direction of the object of ambition.

Innovation- Are those people who comply with the communal object of ambition but not the communal accepted ways of achieving them.

Retreatism- Are those who do not comply with the communal accepted object of ambition and the ways of obtaining them.

This is connecting with the Strain theory. The lack of power or means by which the young generation can use to attain communal worth, rank and the object of ambition in groups of adolescents is by creating a misdeed that challenges their own worth and standard. Walklate (2003) says that the concept of minor crime in distinct cultural groups within a larger culture can be related to offenses that arent economically stimulated by interest. The band of people associating for some purpose would exchange views forcefully to have their own desirability like respect for a daring nature and combating skills. Its easily perceived how distinct this makes them from normal non-law breaking ordinary people. There isnt any statement that explains why individuals are not able of attaining communal worth, but the object of their ambition causes them to select criminal alternatives. Furthermore, Brown (1998) says that there are doubts in relation to whether adolescents do not agree with the ultimately prevailing trend in opinion.

There have been several interesting findings and discoveries about the tendency of people in committing crimes. Firstly, the differential associates with the youth in a division related to circumstances indicate how peer influence being related to a certain kind of group would mislead them to committing a criminal offense. The reputation of crime has lessened after men join in marriage and this has served as the most evident sign where men tend to abstain from criminal activities. Adolescence that has criminal comrades is likely to indulge in criminal offenses as well. Aside from this, it was also found that those who commit crime find comfort in connecting with each other.

It was also found that once adolescence has been given the title as lawbreakers, they usually do commit more crimes, Eadle and Morley (2003), the conception behind it is that, once they have been labeled as criminals, male adolescents tend to take up the obligation and relate with those who have been given a similar name.

The misdeed committed by an adolescent is typically out of proportion especially those done by men. The theory of the feminist and others have concluded why that is the hypothetical situation. Eadle and Morlry (2003) believe that the intension of having various qualities can make male adolescents more prone of committing more offense. Daring, powerful, competitive and aggressive are the most common impressions the male adolescent tries to accomplish. Brown (1998) notes that, having this ideal in mind can actually make male adolescents indulge in unaccepted and offensive behaviors.

Walklate (2003) on the other hand suggests that, male adolescents usually behave as they do due to the communal influence to comply with believing that they have so many qualities that are visionary. Hence, they may naturally be more antagonistic and heroic. Through imaginary factors, the way parents treat their young men may also make them more sensitive to transgress.

Tendency of Committing Transgression
A persons risk results in behavior that can make them transgress can be regular habits and are as follows
Impulsiveness
Intellectual ability
Hostile behavior
Ability to identify with a person.
(Farrington, 2002)

Children with poor academic background often do worse in learning institutions, this may make the possibilities of committing crime high because of the poor results in school, a low devotion to school, and low academics motivations all have a possibility of being more susceptible to being criminal offenders. Giving the meaning and finding out the extent of intelligence can oftentimes be annoying. But the male adolescents tend to act on impulse thus ignoring the lasting effect of their deeds. They dont have the power to control their behavior and cant let their gratification take place later. This can let us know why their crimes lack proportion.

Mental disorder also usually becomes active at the childhood stage and eventually reveals itself at the adolescence stage of life. An adolescent child who conducts public disturbance shows the inability to identify with people and ignore the communal customary behavior. At the time the young man begins to reveal irregular behavior and reaches eighteen years old, he is at danger of being diagnose with distinctive antisocial character disorder and thus may become a dangerous lawbreaker.

The factors within the family environment, which can mislead one to commit a crime, are as follows
The way control is exercised over a child
Separation or conflict of the parents
Parents or siblings who are themselves criminals
Neglect or abuse by the parent
The degree of excellence in the parent-child relationship
(Farrington 2002)

Furthermore, it was also found that children are more likely to keep bad company and end up indulging in unlawful activities with other delinquent children especially if their parents are not close with them.
The avoidance of delinquency is to hinder the adolescence from indulging in offensive activities or any other unlawful behaviors. The number of resources allocated for prevention of minor crimes has gone up after the government realized its importance. In many instances, it is hard for the government to provide legal means for better hindrance, thus the society, government and other organizations have eventually joined hands to stop juvenile crime.

When a young man who commits crime reaches the age of maturity, he may continue displaying maladaptive traits and this raises the chances of him agreeing to make no claims of recurrent series of operation, by the justice system of a mature person committing a wrong thing. The young person has a higher chance of exhibiting a behavior disorder that is antisocial and maintains in his life as a professional lawbreaker.

Conclusion
As we have discussed in the paper, juvenile crimes are criminal acts that are committed by adolescents. There are a number of theories that try to elucidate the reasons behind such behaviors among these theories are the labeling theory and the male phenomenon theory. Studies have also outlined the factors that predispose juvenile crime, such as poor family background. However despite these studies and movements against juvenile crimes, this remains a social problem which laws alone will not stop. Apparently, the society as a whole has a bigger role in addressing the issue, and unless this is realized, whatever law enacted will never be successful in solving the issue.