Purpose of the Study
The current study is aimed at employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-method approaches in accounting for the various risk or protective factors that are behind various delinquencies observed among the youth. This will be achieved through reviewing several studies that have been carried out previously on the same topic.
Definition of keywords
Juvenile delinquency is a common social problem that faces a great population of youth and it affects many people within a societal setting. Juvenile delinquency can be defined as those behavioral practices that are considered not to be in line with the collective behavior and ethics of a dominant social group (Wasserman et al., 2003, p.3). These undesirable behaviors range from simple deviant attitudes such as running away from home or skipping school to major criminal activities and street violence (Peetz, 2008, pp.5-6).
This research paper gives a literature review and map of the factors that contribute to juvenile delinquencies. The paper also gives an in-depth analysis of the empirical studies related to the current topic. The source of information used in the preparation of this paper is preferably the online sources. The sources were obtained using such keywords as Juvenile Delinquencies; youth violence; youth misconduct and adolescent emotional problems.
Factors contributing to Juvenile Delinquencies
Available research indicates that the more criminological factors there are, the more criminal-minded the youth are. Many researchers and scholars tend to look at these factors from different perspectives but they both agree on their classification. These factors can be grouped into; individual factors, peer factors, genetic factors, family factors, and school/community-based factors. According to the sources used in this study, the individual factors include; emotional or behavioral problems, poor cognitive development, and hyperactivity. Peer-based factors are those related to associating with deviant friends or being rejected by peers or friends. The family factors include; poor parenting, maltreatment, parental emotional problems & psychopathology, divorce, and violence within the family. Finally, school/community-based factors are those related to failure to bond to ones’ school, poor family background, disadvantageous neighborhood, poor academic performance and aspirations, the existence of organized delinquent peer groups within the neighborhood, and disorganized community-based prevention programs. The works that are cited in the current study document statistically significant results linking Juvenile delinquencies to behavioral or emotional problems (Brauner and Stephen, 2006, pp.303-310).
Newswise (2008) documents statistically significant research data linking the desire to engage in deviant behaviors to the human genome. The behaviors are associated with a 10-repeat variant/allele of the dopamine transporter (DAT1) in the human genome. The research study led by Beaver of Florida State University and his colleagues was aimed at finding out if there is a link between antisocial behavior and the human genome. The study targeted young male students in both middle and high school. A sample size of1816 boys was used in the study, which involved analysis of DNA data. Those boys who were found to have the DAT1 gene were then sampled into two groups depending on whether they resided in environments that promote delinquent behaviors or otherwise. Results indicated that the boys who had this gene in addition to living in environments that favored deviant behaviors had an affinity for delinquent behavior. On the other hand, those boys with the same allele whose environments discouraged antisocial behaviors showed no significant affinity for delinquent behaviors. This study sheds light on the existence of a link between the human genome and the environment in promoting deviant behaviors. The sample size used was large enough to guarantee the statistical validity of the results because there is no previous experiment on a DNA analysis that had employed such a huge sample size.
Lipman et al. (2008, pp.12-19) describe an experiment that was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of a community-based intervention program on young boys who were at risk of being engaged in antisocial activities. The study employs the methodology of assessing the behavior of young boys of 11-16 years old before the implementation of the intervention and using a checklist for the assessment after its take-off. The enrollment to part-take in the exercise required the parent’s consent in signing a police contract. The subjects were also supposed to undergo a clinical check-up to attain the criteria of a clinical score of T>69. The inclusion criteria also excluded those subjects with developmental and English speaking delays (Lipman et al., 2008, pp.12-19). The study was carried out on 12-week groups in twelve sessions that involved the subjects being checked for the clinical score on the child behavior checklist (CBCL) or the Teacher Report Form (TRF). Finally, repeated analysis of the data variance was carried out. The results indicated that there was an improvement in all the participants. However, the participants assigned under the CBCL scale showed higher levels of improvement than those on the TRF scale. Thus, the results indicate that the intervention programs should be implemented early enough in a young person’s life to avoid losses associated with delinquent behaviors later in life. it is also worth noting that, the intervention program should go hand in hand with evaluation mechanisms to ensure success.
Conclusion
This is a literature review and map, which is part of a research paper on the Factors that Contribute to Juvenile Delinquencies. It begins with a research question that is later addressed extensively and analytically in the ensuing discussions. The review also contains the purpose of the research study and a thesis statement.
The paper discusses the various risk and protective factors that are identified as being behind the prevalence of cases of delinquent behaviors among young people. It also analyzes several empirical studies on the same topic, which document clearly that there is a significant relationship between a number of the previously mentioned factors and the delinquent behaviors among the youth.
Reference list
- Brauner, C. B. and Stephens, C. B. (2006). Estimating the prevalence of early childhood serious emotional/behavioral disorders: challenges and recommendations. J Public Health Rep. 121(3): 303-310.
- Lipman, E. L., Kenny, M., Sniderman, C., O’Grady, S., Augimeri, L., Khayutin, S. and Boyle, M. H. (2008). Evaluation of a community-based program for young boys at-risk of antisocial behavior: results and issues. J Can Acad Adolesc Psychiatry. 17(1): 12-19.
- Newswise. (2008). Study reveals specific gene in adolescent men with Delinquent peers. Florida State University of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
- Peetz, P. (2008). GIGA research programme: violence, power and security. Hamburg, German: GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
- Wasser, G. A., Keenan, K. Tremblay, R. E., Coie, J. D., Herrenkohl, T. I. and Pitches, D. (2003). Risk and protective factors of child delinquency. U.S. Department of Justice: office of Juvenile and Delinquency prevention.
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