Juvenile Delinquency
The study of juvenile delinquency examines offending by young people and the social and developmental processes behind it.
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Scope
It covers the causes and patterns of youth offending, delinquent subcultures, developmental pathways, and juvenile justice.
Core questions
- Why do young people offend?
- How do delinquent subcultures form?
- What developmental pathways lead to delinquency?
- How should juvenile justice respond?
Key concepts
- Social disorganization
- Delinquent subculture
- Status frustration
- Developmental pathways
- Juvenile justice
- Gangs
Key theories
- Social disorganization
- Shaw and McKay linked delinquency to disorganized urban neighborhoods rather than individual pathology.
- Delinquent subcultures
- Cohen explained gang delinquency as a subcultural response to status frustration.
History
Juvenile delinquency research developed from the Chicago School's social-disorganization theory (Shaw & McKay) and subcultural theories (Cohen) to developmental and life-course criminology.
Debates
- Individual versus environmental causes
- Whether delinquency stems from individual traits or social environment.
Key figures
- Clifford Shaw
- Henry McKay
- Albert Cohen
Related topics
Seminal works
- shaw-mckay-1942
- cohen-1955
Frequently asked questions
- What is social disorganization theory?
- The theory that crime and delinquency arise from the breakdown of community social controls in disadvantaged neighborhoods.