Juvenile Delinquency?

Humanity is proud of the many achievements and knowledge it has procured. We have managed to make countless discoveries and achieved many scientific breakthroughs. Many pieces of information are undisputable and there is a global agreement that they are true such as the statement that the planet is round. There are other times when there is a large scale argument whether something is true or not, whether something should be handled one way or another. There was a time where many argued that the planet was flat and others said it was round. Regardless of who is right, there will always be topics that are very controversial. One such topic we face in the present is that of juvenile delinquency and how we should treat these juveniles once they …show more content…
When does a juvenile become delinquent? Any individual under the age of 18 who commits a crime becomes a juvenile delinquent. Their actions stray from what society deems acceptable in an act of deviance (Barkan, pg 5). People under the age of 18 can also enter the criminal justice system (albeit a different one) when they break the law. Usually, the criminal justice system is very forgiving and merciful when it comes to trying juveniles as society understands that juveniles are not capable of the same thought capacities as a fully developed adult. Juveniles have their whole lives ahead of them and even though they might be deviant during this early stage of life, they are still perfectly capable of becoming a model law abiding citizen once they reach …show more content…
The first one is the theory of social learning. As children grow, they take in incredible amounts of information and integrate it into the way they are. These additions solidify through infancy and carry on throughout the individual’s life. What is the theory of social learning? Coined by Psychologist Albert Bandura, it is said that aggressive and criminal behavior is learned from those around the person (Barkan, pg 154). By definition, this theory argues that people learn deviant behavior rather than be biologically predisposed to crime from birth. Newborns have only their instincts when they first start their lives, however, they will learn incredible amounts of behaviors as they grow. Babies and infants absorb information quickly, allowing them to pick up many skills necessary for survival quickly such as eating properly, walking and speaking. Children learn from any source that they see, regardless of the quality of the information. They learn a great deal from their parents and siblings in their early years. As children grow and reach adolescence, they will give great importance to their social groups and peers. As such they will learn behavior from them in order to fit in with these groups. When said groups are deviant, juveniles will learn and adopt deviant behavior themselves. Ronald Akers