Juvenile delinquency is the illegal activity of adolescents or minors. It is influenced by four main risk factors, namely: personality, history, state of mind and drugs. Juvenile detention centres, juvenile courts and electronic monitoring are common structures in the juvenile justice system. [16] In most cases, juvenile courts are established to treat offences against minors as civil rather than criminal cases. The frequency of use and structure of these courts in the United States varies from state to state. [17] Depending on the nature and gravity of the offence committed, persons under the age of 18 may be charged and treated as adults. [18] Direct, threaten, or enforce sanctions for illegal conduct, and compliance is rewarded by parents, family, and authority figures. Internally, by which a young person abstains from delinquency by conscience or superego. Indirectly through identification with those who influence behaviour, for example because the delinquent act can cause pain and disappointment to parents and other close relationships. Control through the satisfaction of needs: If all of a person`s needs are met, criminal activity is meaningless.
Minors who commit sexual offences refer to persons who have been convicted of a sex crime by a criminal court. [81] Sexual crimes are defined as sexual violence committed by a person under the age of 18 and committed “against the victim`s will, without their consent, and in an aggressive, abusive, manipulative, and/or threatening manner.” [82] It is important to use appropriate terminology for juvenile sex offenders. Harsh and inappropriate terms include terms such as “pedophile, child molester, predator, abuser, and mini-perp.” [83] These terms have often been associated with this group, regardless of the youth`s age, diagnosis, cognitive abilities or stage of development. [83] The use of appropriate terms can facilitate a more accurate portrayal of juvenile sex offenders and reduce subsequent aversive psychological effects through the use of such terms. [83] In the Arab Gulf States [sic], homosexual acts are classified as a criminal offense and constitute one of the main crimes for which underage men are charged. [84] Juvenile delinquency itself has been the subject of much research over the past fifty years (particularly in the United States). If the case goes to court, the minor and his parents will meet with a juvenile court official. The admissions officer may handle the case informally, refer the minor to a probation officer, dismiss the case or lay formal charges. When deciding whether or not to lay charges, officials often consider the following: Some researchers have noted an increase in arrests of minors and concluded that this may reflect a more aggressive criminal justice system and a zero-tolerance policy rather than changes in youth behaviour. [10] Rates of youth violence in the United States fell to about 12% of the highest rates in 1993, according to official U.S. government statistics, suggesting that most youth crimes are nonviolent. [11] Many delinquent acts can be attributed to environmental factors such as family behaviour or peer influence.
[12] [13] One factor that has attracted attention in recent years is the shift from school to prison. According to Diverse Education, nearly 75 percent of states have built more prisons and prisons than colleges. CNN also provides a chart showing that the cost per inmate is significantly higher than the cost per student in most states. This shows that taxpayers` money is being used to take care of prisoners rather than the education system and promote education. For each school built, the focus on punishment correlates with juvenile delinquency. [14] Some have suggested moving from zero-tolerance policies to restorative approaches to justice. She took more pleasure in her students` literary endeavors and called him the young Poushkin.[15] This type of juvenile delinquent behaviour begins in adolescence. However, unlike repeat offenders, the age-specific offender`s behaviour ends before the juvenile becomes an adult. The behaviours a teenager exhibits during puberty are often a good indicator of the kind of delinquent they will become. Although older offenders leave their delinquent behaviour behind as they grow up, they often have more mental health, substance abuse and financial problems than adults who never committed a crime as a teenager. Socialization plays a key role in the gender gap in delinquency, as adolescent girls are often socialized differently.
The experiences of girls and boys are strongly influenced by gender, which changes their interactions in society. Men and women are controlled and linked differently, suggesting that they cannot make the same decisions and take different paths of crime. Social attachments are important for both men and women, but different aspects of attachment are relevant for each gender. [52] The degree of participation in social settings is an important predictor of violent crime for men, but not significant for women. Men tend to be more connected to their relationships with their peers, which actually has a stronger impact on their behavior. [53] [54] Association with delinquent peers is one of the strongest correlates of juvenile delinquency, and much of the gender gap can be explained by the fact that men are more likely to have friends who support delinquent behaviour. Peer offenders are positively and significantly associated with delinquency among men, but peer offenders are negatively and insignificantly associated with delinquency among women. [54] For women, family relationships were found to be more important. Adolescent girls tend to be more connected to their families, so separation or lack of socialization between family members can significantly predict their likelihood of committing crimes in adolescence and even adulthood. When the family is disturbed, women are more prone to delinquent behaviour than men. [50] However, boys tend to be less connected to their families and less affected by these relationships. [53] For minor offences such as fighting, vandalism, shoplifting and carrying weapons, gender differences are limited as they are more common for both men and women.
Elements of social connection, social disorganization, routine activities, opportunities and attitudes towards violence are also linked to delinquent behaviour among both men and women. [50] Juvenile justice procedures are very different from those that apply to adult offenders. Each State has specific programmes or systems that deal with juvenile offenders. Young offenders come into contact with the police in a variety of ways. Some are caught red-handed and arrested, others are referred to the police by parents or school officials. Once the police have been called, they may decide to treat a juvenile offender in a variety of ways. Police can: In the United States, youth reform is divided into four main phases:[79] Juvenile offenders who repeatedly face the criminal justice system, or in other words, those who are repeat offenders are sometimes diagnosed with behavioral disorders because they demonstrate a continuing disregard for their own safety and/or the safety and/or property of others. Once the adolescent continues to exhibit the same patterns of behaviour and reaches the age of eighteen, there is a risk that he or she will be diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and be much more susceptible to a serious offender. [59] One of the key elements of diagnosing an adult with antisocial personality disorder is to provide a documented history of behavioural disorders before the age of 15. These two personality disorders are analogous in their erratic and aggressive behavior. For this reason, repeat young offenders diagnosed with a behavioural disorder are likely to show signs of antisocial personality disorder early in life and then as they grow older.
Sometimes these young people mature and become professional criminals or permanent offenders. “Professional criminals begin to engage in antisocial behavior before entering elementary school and are versatile in a range of destructive behaviors, insulting at excessively high rates and less likely to stop committing crimes as they age.” [59] Juvenile delinquency prevention serves at-risk youth, their families and the public by interrupting the transition from juvenile to adult offenders. Prevention services are provided by a number of government and private agencies and include services such as: A car was shipped without mentioning that the suspect could be a minor and that the weapon could be a toy. A penal approach to juvenile delinquency is the juvenile court system. These courts are specially designed for minors who are brought to justice. Sometimes juvenile offenders are sent to adult prisons. [66] In the United States, children as young as 8 can be tried and sentenced as adults. In addition, the United States was the only registered country to sentence children as young as 13 to life imprisonment without parole, also known as death in prison.
Since 2012, the Supreme Court has declared death in prison unconstitutional for the vast majority of cases involving children. [18] According to the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately 3,600 children are housed in adult prisons. [67] If charges are laid in juvenile court, the juvenile is charged and his indictment is read before a judge.