Essay Example on Juvenile Delinquency: Violation of Law by Minors

Introduction

A juvenile refers to young people who have been accused or have committed a crime. Delinquency, on the other hand, can be defined as any criminal behavior and mainly those that are committed by a youngster or a juvenile. Therefore, juvenile delinquency is the violation or conduct of the law which has been committed by a minor and especially those between ten years and seventeen years depending on the juveniles nation of origin and its classification of juvenile or adults (Thompson & Bynum, 2016). There are distinct reasons as to why juveniles commit crimes; it is, therefore, necessary to provide reliable and dependable speculations to aid on the understanding of different intentions of the juveniles. Discussed below is the social learning theory which explains the juvenile delinquency as well as some of the propositions which can be used to alleviate the delinquency problem.

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Social Learning Theory

The perfect social learning theory which can adequately explain juvenile delinquency is social learning by Ronald Akers (2017). This theory argues that without regards to whether a person is a deviant or conforms, he or she tends to be this way through learning as well as the imitation of the people he or she associates with. This how most youngsters figure out how to commit a specific crime since the people they interact with present them with criminal models, proper convictions best fit for the crime which gets them very fortified for the crimes they commit hence they consider the crime an alluring thing which for particular circumstances. The juvenile can figure out how and when to commit the crime (Akers, 2017). The cozy or essential gatherings which a person is usually associated with have significant impacts on what the person grows to realize. The denounced companions is a substantial indication of a crime and not just an earlier misconduct. One does necessarily have to learn how to commit a crime through interaction with other people since it can even be learned through how or she perceives different things including the media personalities.

Imitation or mimic of criminal models: people do not just get reinforcements and convictions of their conduct just like that but through their interactions and behavior with different individuals around them (Akers, 2017). Notably, individuals are prone to model or mimic their actions from the people they associate with and especially if they find their behaviors fascinating hence been motivated to act like them which results in fortification.

Differential reinforcement/build up of a crime: people may be instructed by other individuals to engage themselves in criminal behaviors through disciplines and reinforcement their behaviors are accommodated. The juvenile is likely to commit the crime when there is too much fortification but minimal discipline since the reinforcement may be harmful or sure hence strengthening the criminal behavior. For instance, pleasurable emotions and cash associated with committing the crimes or engaging in drug abuse.

Beliefs that are favorable to the crime: different individuals not only strengthens the crime but also display the several convictions necessary for the crime. Some children's grow up knowing that crime is an immoral behavior hence end up having a disguise conviction which is against committing crimes. However, there are also some who are in support of specific types of crimes as well as some other violations (Akers, 2017). Even though they feel that crime is not a good thing, they also have a feeling that some criminals are attractive and reasonable to commit.

Details about Alleviating the Problem

There are various approaches which can be adapted to help in alleviating the juvenile delinquency problem with the major one been to assist the family as well as the child from an early age, some of these include; education: education model programs have helped several children and their families through the provision of relevant information. The parents learn the different ways healthy children by teaching them against weapons, drugs, sex and gangs (Thompson & Bynum, 2016). This enables the youngster to learn that every wrong decision that he or she makes has some negative consequences; the youths are given hope as well exposed to better opportunities.

Community involvement and recreation: it makes the youth to have a feeling that they are free and not supervised after school hours. Through the recreation programs, the youths can connect with fellow youths as well the other community members. Some of the activities like drama, karate, music, bowling a dart are designed to perfectly fit the different skills and personalities of the youths hence creating a secure social environment for them (Thompson & Bynum, 2016). Another approach which can be used is functional family therapy: this helps several children especially those on probation as well as their families

Conclusion

There are different reasons why juvenile engages in criminal activities some of which can be explained by the social learning theory that people learn through imitation and mimicking. Delinquency has significant impacts on the individual as well as the society in general. Several measures can be put in place to help in alleviating the issue some of which include education, community involvement, and recreation.

References

Akers, R. (2017). Social learning and social structure: A general theory of crime and deviance. Routledge.

Thompson, W. E., & Bynum, J. E. (2016). Juvenile delinquency: A sociological approach. Rowman & Littlefield.