Application of Social Reaction Theory for Juvenile Delinquency

Perspective on Juvenile Delinquency

The Social Reaction Theory or Perspective stresses poverty, insufficient education, skills, and sub -societies values in correlation to crime rates. Poverty, persistent exposure to violence and drugs, easy access to firearms, unstable family life and family violence, delinquent peer groups, and media are highly correlated with juvenile delinquency. These risk factors that are integrated commonly in juvenile delinquents lives, affect their upbringing and marginalize these individuals for having little to not success in society. Anthropological, medical, biological, psychological, psychiatric and analytical approaches are a subjective approach to juvenile delinquency. Geological, economic, social, sociological and cultural approaches are an objective approach to juvenile delinquency. In conclusion to all of the factors, societal and economical factors stress significantly on individuals. Strain theory, expresses association with juveniles and crimes. Everyday stress of the risk factors generates stress, and increases the possibility of committing and offense. Overt and Covert delinquency is a significant in the United States that is still being studied today. The main reason is yet to be known as why crimes are committed by juveniles, but researchers believe the risk factors listed above are defiantly triggers.

Growing up, children always look up to those in uniform who “protect” them, but little do they know the components behind those careers, that make that career what it is. The Criminal Justice System is an asset to the US, in maintaining society and controlling the norms of behavior that is acceptable. There are multiple institutions that encompass the justice system that not all countries have which is fortunate to the US.  Law officers are positioned to uphold and enforce to the law to the fullest extent if needed. Arresting, gathering and maintain evidence, investigating in some cases, and concluding  police reports are some of the many duties associated with Law enforcement. In essence, keeping the peace and protecting life and property are also a main function of law enforcing. If the community doesn’t support the police, they aren’t going to be as effective. With all that is going on in the world as of 2019, being young and a minority puts fear into law enforcement because the complexion of skin. Minorities do fear that there are policemen out there who are not doing their duties to the full and honest extent that they abided by. “The probability of being black, unarmed and shot by police is about 3.5 times the probability of being white, unarmed and shot by police.” ( PLOS One, 2015). Strong relationships of mutual trust between police agencies and the communities they serve are critical to maintaining public safety and effective policing, as well as raising successful law abiding citizens.

The cooperation of community members to provide information about crime in their neighborhoods, and to work with the police to devise solutions to crime and disorder problems. With recent incidents of police brutality, Community relations playa huge role in impacting the outcome of certain situations. Creating a bond amongst a community with local law enforcement, can create a safer environment for now and for the future, because it will teach people to stop fearing one another in non-life threating situations.

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Corrections plays a very consequential role in the criminal justice system. The Criminal Justice system is usually held to imply reform and rehabilitation. At a young age those components are important to for a successful life back into society. According to a journalists for the Atlantic paper, juvenile delinquents make up 1,200 of the 1.5 in federal and state prisons.

Incarcerated youths are commonly known to offend around the ages of 15 years old to 18 years old. Not many of them are subject to release there for enforcing adult punishments on them, and strict supervision. This make is very hard for juvenile delinquents to renter society and rehabilitate in a healthy manner as a free individual. A viral ted talk given by Evan Foss reveals a story about a young man, Christopher, who was brought up who could not afford to go to school, so he had stolen over 30 computers from best buy to pay for it, this man is now a manager for a large bank in Boston because Foss saw that he needed guidance and help. A day in jail could have and probably would have made the situation worse. Arraigning Christopher would give him a criminal record, making it more difficult for him to get a job, setting in motion a process that describes today's failed system of criminal justice. Christopher would be unable to find employment, education or stable housing with a criminal record and without a job. Without those factors stabilizing his future for success Christopher would be more likely to continue committing crimes, increasing the severity of the crime. The correspondence with the criminal justice system and Christopher, could possible result in him reentering multiple times afterword’s all at the stupendous cost of his adolescent years, family and social groups. The public safety concern that is at question would be tragic. There is two choices the system has when a kid commits a crime and that is to either: prosecute to the full extent of the law, or take a step back and ask if burdening young people with criminal records is the right thing to do every time. Foss asks, “why are we spending 80 billion dollars on a prison industry that we know is failing, when we could take that money and reallocate it into education, into mental health treatment, into substance abuse treatment and to community investment so we can develop our neighborhoods?” Which is very true, rehabilitation is needed before incarceration.

The judgement of a criminal case involves court processing. The prosecutor, then,  decides if the occurrence will succeed into a criminal case, wherein the suspected wrongdoer will be accused of the wrongdoing. In the event that the investigator chooses to squeeze charges against a suspected guilty party, the settling procedure advances to arraignment. During arraignment, the suspect is perused the charge/s recorded against the person in question. With the guide of a legitimate direction, the suspect (presently a respondent) enters a supplication of either blameworthy or not liable. The arraignment advances into preliminary to decide the blame of the suspect (if the not-blameworthy supplication was not entered). In case of a blameworthy decision, the guilty party is indicted and the court will decide the sentence. A court conviction compares to a sentence, which is the punishment forced on the guilty party who has been seen as blameworthy because of the first preliminary. The sentence is distributed by the judge, who pursues recommended rules, gauges, and constraints in rebuffing convicts. By and large, Joined together States laws license capital punishment for convicts who have carried out horrifying violations, in spite of the fact that the act of the death penalty is dependent upon the situation. On a basic level, the Government Passing Punishment Demonstration of 1988 sentences to death all guilty parties indicted for murder. Yet, by and by, the death penalty is more an exemption than the standard. For instance, the vast majority of the sentenced psychological oppressors waiting for capital punishment presently can't seem to be dispensed their sentences.

The Criminal Justice System is the ideological institution responsible for the protection, preservation of, and adherence to the civil rights and civil liberties expressed within the Constitution of the United States (Criminal Justice, 2015). Law Enforcement, corrections, and the adjudication all play the role and act together in trying to maintain the most respectable and functionality of the Criminal Justice System. Each system uses their own judgments and ethical procedures to apply the law. There have been many miscarriages to justice where innocent people were sent to prison. I have yet to deal with the criminal justice system besides a speeding ticket, but I know that I play a role in my justice system. Some people may not think they do, but they do. There is no harm in voicing your opinion and there is no harm in fighting for what you believe in.

Just as these three components have a huge impact on our societies wellbeing we have an impact on the system, if society as a whole speaks up, for the rights of their own and young individuals who may have committed a mistake.

Work Cited

• Foss, E. (2019). A prosecutor's vision for a better justice system. [online] Ted.com. Available at: https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_foss_a_prosecutor_s_vision_for_a_better_justice_system
• Meade, Anthony C. “The Labeling Approach to Delinquency: State of the Theory as a Function of Method.” Social Forces, vol. 53, no. 1, 1974, pp. 83–91. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2576840.
• Journals.plos.org. (2019). PLOS ONE: accelerating the publication of peer-reviewed science. [online] Available at: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/
• Shaffer, David R. Social and personality development. Nelson Education, 2008.