Criminology and Juvenile Delinquency Exam Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering criminological theories, historical juvenile justice concepts, risk/protective factors, and demographic trends in delinquency.

Social Isolation Theory

A neighborhood theory developed by William Julius Wilson proposing that isolation from key institutions such as family, school, and the labor market leads to social problems and delinquency.

Concentric Zone Model

A neighborhood model developed by Park and Burgess asserting that delinquency rates are highest in the transitional zone due to poverty, high population turnover, instability, and weakened informal social control.

Social Disorganization Theory

A neighborhood theory by Shaw and McKay stating that structural risk factors like low SES, residential turnover, and racial/ethnic heterogeneity breakdown control and increase delinquency, which can be interrupted by collective efficacy.

Focal Concerns Theory

A theory of lower-class culture proposed by Walter Miller postulating that lower-class youth and gang delinquency are driven by six core cultural values: trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fate, and autonomy.

Focal Concerns

The six cultural beliefs identified by Walter Miller in lower-class culture that encourage delinquent risk-taking behavior: fate, autonomy, trouble, toughness, excitement, and smartness.

Differential Association Theory

A learning theory by Sutherland asserting that individuals learn delinquent behavior through social associations with pro-crime individuals who impart pro-crime motives, definitions, and techniques.

Social Learning Theory (Akers)

A theory by Akers stating that people learn and maintain delinquent behaviors when their actions are reinforced rather than punished through differential reinforcement and association with delinquent peers.

Differential Reinforcement

The core mechanism in social learning theory where rewards increase the occurrence of a behavior and punishments decrease it.

Intermittent Reinforcement

A pattern of reinforcement where only some delinquent acts are reinforced, making delinquency more likely to persist in certain situations.

Social Bond Theory

A control theory by Hirschi proposing that weak social bonds—specifically attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief—lead to crime because less time and interest are dedicated to prosocial institutions.

General Theory of Crime

A control theory by Gottfredson and Hirschi positing that all delinquency stems from low self-control, leading individuals to seek immediate rewards without considering long-term consequences.

Primary Deviation

Edwin Lemert's term for the first time or initial incident in which an individual breaks a norm or commits a crime prior to receiving formal or informal labels.

Secondary Deviation

Edwin Lemert's term for continued delinquent behavior that occurs after an individual internalizes a negative label and alters their self-concept.

Radical Non-Intervention

Edwin Shur's policy approach arguing that formal juvenile justice system interventions should be avoided following primary deviation, as formal processing exposes youth to delinquent peers and negative labels.

Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline

A developmental pathway into the juvenile justice system highlighting that a significant history of sexual abuse and victimization frequently precedes incarceration among girls.

Foster Care to Prison Pipeline

A pathway in which child welfare system involvement and foster care placement increase a youth's likelihood of entering the juvenile justice system.

Third-Degree Assault

The specific criminal offense charge that most frequently results in the detention of girls in New York City.

Parens Patriae

A legal doctrine meaning "parent of the nation," establishing that children accused of crimes are in need of the court's help and protection rather than strictly punitive punishment.

First Juvenile Court

Established in 1899 in Chicago, Illinois, this court prioritized understanding the offender over the offense through confidential, informal proceedings focused on rehabilitation.

Status Offense

An act that is legally prohibited only because of the offender's youthful status (under age 18), such as truancy, running away, or underage alcohol consumption.

Criteria for Strict Causality

The three standard conditions needed to establish cause and effect: 1. Association between variables ($X$ relates to $Y$), 2. Temporal ordering ($X$ comes before $Y$), and 3. Nonspuriousness ($X$ relates to $Y$ even when controlling for $Z$).

Micro-Level Explanations

Criminological explanations that seek to predict why one individual is more likely to engage in delinquent behavior than another by comparing individual-level risk factors.

Macro-Level Explanations

Criminological explanations that predict variation in crime rates across broader societal structures, communities, or geographic locations.

Wayward Girl Hypothesis

A macro-level concept describing how the juvenile justice system historically monitored and punished young women for immoral or ungovernable behaviors like running away or sexual promiscuity.

Saints and Roughnecks Study

A 1973 study by William Chambliss showing that high-SES youth ("Saints") engaged in equal or greater delinquency than low-SES youth ("Roughnecks"), but avoided deviant labels due to social capital while Roughnecks were labeled and punished.

Self-Reported Delinquency by Race

Self-report survey data ranking juvenile delinquency rates from lowest to highest by group: Asian Americans (lowest), Whites, Latinx, African Americans, and Native Americans (highest).

Distribution of Delinquent Offenses

A breakdown showing property offenses comprise two-thirds of delinquency: Larceny-theft ($46\%$), Aggravated assault ($20\%$), Motor vehicle theft ($12\%$), Robbery ($11\%$), Burglary ($9\%$), Rape ($2\%$), Arson ($1\%$), and Murder ($>1\%$).