Juvinial Delinquency
...grow up into adult offenders who perpetrate more serious crimes, the best way to reduce the overall crime rate in America is to reduce the number of juvenile delinquents. In other words, stop the problem before it really gets started. To best deal with any problem we must first understand why it occurs. Explaining why crime and delinquency occur is a complex task. Many factors exist that contribute to the understanding of what leads someone to engage in delinquent behavior. While explanations involving biological and psychological factors hold some merit when explaining crime and delinquency, perhaps social factors can best explain juvenile delinquency.
The social causes of juvenile delinquency include many theories that have been set forth by criminologists and sociologists. Many of the theories will be applicable to at least some instances of crime and delinquency and some instances can be explained using more then one single theory.
The Social Learning Theory or the Differential Association Theory states that crime is learned behavior. "People learn criminal behavior through the groups with which they associate. If a person associates with more groups that define criminal behavior as acceptable as groups that define criminal behavior as unacceptable, the person will probably engage in criminal behavior" (Leighninger 1996). Just as people must learn though socialization how to conform to their society's norms, they must also learn how to depart from those norms. In other words, deviance, like conforming behavior, is a product of socialization" (Calhoun 176) This theory states that a juvenile can socially learn deviant behavior from those around him/her such as their family, peers, or anyone else that he or she may come in contact with. The parents and peers are the most influential agents in socialization.
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