| Description |
In any society, the issue of juvenile delinquency has been one of continuing concern to its members. Juvenile delinquency patterns, in fact, are extremely telling in that they are normally caused by some predicating factor. Rates will often increase and decline based on the health of the societies' institutions of socialization. Patterns and rates of youth criminality in America are no different. The modern juvenile delinquent in the United States is the result of a long history of views, beliefs and customs, which have influenced primary socialization. Recently, with the rise in violence and criminality among juveniles, policymakers have begun to focus much of their attention on juvenile delinquency. Legislators, seeking to establish policy to deal with the issue, have raised questions regarding causation, in order to discover better methods of prevention and correction. Often, however, these policymakers fail to discover the correct causes of delinquency and often cite incorrect sources. This thesis will focus on an accurate method for discovering the causes of the rise in the patterns of youth violence in America. In order to accurately analyze the current patterns of juvenile delinquency in America, it is necessary to first gain an understanding of the historical background of the subject. This can be accomplished through careful analysis of the views toward youth in the United States, which originated from the cultures that most greatly influenced American society. Once the background of views and cultures is established, it is possible to understand the effect that they had in creating modem beliefs and the primary institutions of socialization. It is also necessary to examine the historical progression of the study of juvenile delinquency. This information allows one to understand the delinquency trends through the theories of past social scientists. These two histories can then be taken and applied to the specific environments and relationships that exist within American society. These environments and relationships are important, because of the connection that they have to an increased propensity toward delinquent behavior. The two most important institutions of socialization in America are the family and schools. Therefore, if policymakers are going to decrease the rates of juvenile violence, it is imperative that they search for the problems and inadequacies that exist within these two institutions. Through analyzing the current trends in juvenile delinquency in this manner, I was able to discover and cite specific flaws within society that have led to the increase in youth violence. Inadequate familial and educational situations, along with the exploitation of youth by individuals in the illicit drug industry have directly influenced more ofAmerica's youth to become involved in violence and crime. |
