Delinquency and society

exam 2

Trends in Single-parent households

nearly 1 mil teens get pregnant each year, the poverty rate is 5 times higher, single mothers are more likely to drop out of high school

Are single parent families more likely to have delinquent children?

single parents supervise their children less, children have more responsibilities, children are more susceptible to peer pressure, children experience lower levels of parental attachment, children from single fam households are more likely to be delinquent

Why are teen mom’s more likely to have delinquent kids

more likely to be: born prematurely, be physically abused, be poorly supervised, become teen moms, sons are 3x more likely to become incarcerated than girls 

Teen fathers with kids and delinquency?

delinquents are much more likely to become teen fathers, grow up in poverty, hang out with delinquent friends, teen fathers increase the likelihood of delinquency 

The Impact Divorce has on Children

each year nearly 2 mil families get divorced

divorced parents make fewer demands on children

children suffer psychological distress after parents break up 

Step Families

children in step families perform worse in school 

have adjustment problems

a step farther increases the likeliness of delinquency, stepmother reduces it

What is the importance of family?

family is the most important socializing institution, plays a role in reducing delinquency, instills moral and religious values, teaches kids right and wrong

trends in family formation

a record low number of adults in the US are currently married and unmarried birth rates have increased

Family risk factors linked to delinquency

broken homes- birth order/size

delinquent siblings or parents

quality of home life

What are the benefits of a traditional nuclear family?

children are less likely to be abused/neglected

better emotional and physical health

kids do better academically

kids are more likely to have longer marriages

School Shooting

An incident in which a gun is brandished or fired on school property, or a situation where a bullet hits school property even if fired off school property. School does not have to be in session, and the shooter does not have to be a student. 

Possible Risk Factors of who becomes a school shooter

• psychological disorders 

• alienation and bullying

• lack of support from peers, parents, and teachers 

• victims of crime who hang out with peers who bring weapons to school 

Profile created by the US secret service

• honor role students

• good communities and two parent homes

• no serious problems at school

• anguish known before event

• told people before

• wide variety of backgrounds and motivation

NCVS nonfatal student victimizations

the national crime victimization survey indicates that students 12-18 years of age were victims of: 1.7 mil nonfatal crimes while at school, 1.3 mil nonfatal crimes away from school

nearly 10% of teachers felt threatened

Who are the victims of school crime?

not random: students are targeted because of social statuses and behavior, students who take risks, exposure to motivated offenders, impulsive, lack of self control, involvement in after school activities- ratio to youth to adults drops

Juveniles from broken homes are:

• more likely to suffer from a range of problems

• broken homes have a small to moderate effect on delinquency

Juveniles with criminal parents are:

Most likely to become delinquent

Diana Baumrind

indicates two critical aspects of parent’s behavior toward children: responsiveness, and demanding

Authoritative Style

high responsiveness and high demandingness

Authoritarian style

high on demand and low responsiveness

Indulgent parenting style 

high responsiveness low demand

Indifferent parenting style

low demand low responsiveness

Attachment

The degree to which juveniles feel close to a loved one such as a parent or guardian

Dicipline

a process that includes punishment for wrongdoing (existence of punishment, reliability of punishment, harshness)

Power Control Theory 

Looks at the impact of gender and class on children’s supervision and socialization 

Low class fam- authoritarian parenting (boys > girls)

Mid class fam- egalitarian parenting (boys=girls)

John Hagen

studied power control theory as a predictor of gender differences in delinquency across 3 cities globally and found: stronger monitoring of girls meant they were less likely to act out compared to boys, class had an impact on patriarchal attitudes

Maltreatment of Children

Occurs when children are exposed to a variety of forms of abuse and neglect

Effects of Maltreatment

according to the centers for disease control 1 in 50 infants suffer from maltreatment, children who experience maltreatment are more likely to become unhealthy adults, 50 % of delinquents were abused as children 

Foster Care

24 hour substitute care for children outside of their homes, traumatic experiences

dropping out of school 

dropping out of school is not a direct predictor of deliquency 

Bullying 

hurtful, frightening, or menacing actions undertaken by one person to intimidate another person to gain that persons unwilling compliance and put them in fear

Consequences of Bullying 

• victims of bullying grow up to have more depression and lower self esteem

• children who are bullies are more likely to be chronic offenders 

• bullies and their targets are more likely to engage in violent behavior 

Suicide

• leading cause of death for children under 14

• bullycide- suicide as a result of bullying

Criminal Justice Policy 

monitor young people’s alone time with their peers, focus on the hidden curriculum schools, rehabilitation instead of punishment, eliminate competing values=reduced crime

Hidden curriculum

Value oriented education