Delinquency, especially at the juvenile stage, is a problem that has a strong impact on the individual and the processes of a social structure. It refers to any behaviour that is not in line with the ethics of the dominant social group or the collective practices and norms of the society, which eventually becomes considered deviant behaviour that violates established criminal laws and codes. Contemporary research into the subject suggests that it is a pressing and difficult issue, where multiple strategies to reduce, predict, and control delinquency have been developed and applied to better understand the thought process that leads one to it.
There have been multiple theories that psychologists, criminologists, and sociologists have presented to explain delinquent behaviour. On the individual level, theories focused more on the characteristics and traits of individuals, either learned or innate, that increase the likelihood of them engaging in delinquency. According to these experts, it is the personal traits and characteristics of the person that make the individual-level decision to commit an illegal act. They are not merely a product of the environment but actors that are directed by some individual inner trait such as a selfish temperament or an impulsive personality that leads them to prefer anti-social behaviour. The theory of individual-level juvenile delinquency is further divided into two subcategories. The first is the rational choice theory, which proposes that delinquents consider their actions to be profitable and beneficial when they decide to engage in anti-social activity.
They are supported by an individual belief that their acts can be risk-free or profitable. Some may do those acts out of any personal gratification they obtain from exciting acts, and some may be motivated by fantasies of riches. The trait theory is the second individual-level theory presented that suggests that biological or psychological abnormalities such as low intelligence, hyperactivity, genetic defects or biochemical imbalance are responsible for defects rather than a rational or a conscious desire. As an example, it is postulated that sexually aggressive behaviour in delinquents is a result of their underlying belief that either they will get away with it or secondly believe that because their friends or peers do it too, therefore the act is not that stigmatized and can be done (Larry J. Siegel, 2015).
The other view of some experts is that drug abuse or youth crime are the effects of poverty, despair, income inequality and racism that serve as the prime causes. Those children who grow up in households with limited financial resources and poor neighbourhoods are more likely to switch to serious crime than their peers who are wealthier. The theory suggests that in a deteriorated lower class, social forces are present that become the key determinants of behaviour patterns in delinquents. When they are young, children and youth are influenced and affected by social forces throughout their lives. Within the social structure theoretical perspective, there are three overlapping yet independent theories: the strain theory, the social disorganization theory, and the culture deviance theory.
Social disorganization theory focuses on an urban setting where institutions of social control no longer fulfil their required functions or have broken down, resulting in higher delinquency rates. The strain theory hypothesizes that when people in society are disconnected from a legitimate means to be able to obtain the goals they have in life, this can lead them to delinquency. The cultural deviance theory uses both the above perspectives to suggest that because of social isolation and strain, a unique culture at the lower class level develops, especially in disorganized neighbourhoods. These subcultures independently start to maintain beliefs and a unique set of values that conflict with established social norms. Therefore, the act or expression of conformity to those lower-class subcultural values leads to delinquency, where it becomes a tradition. One example could be stripping, and prostitution (where it is illegal) committed out of poverty may be considered a crime, or considering it a lower-class lifestyle, as one example that can be explained through the social structure theories.
Another theory presented by sociologists is the social process theory, which seeks to understand and link an individual’s relationship with elements that are critical to the social process. Delinquency, according to this theory, is a function of the interactions people have had with various organizations or institutions or a function of their socialization and processes of society. Children are affected by their peer group associations, family relationships, educational experiences or interactions with authority figures such as employers, teachers or agents of the justice system. They can succeed within the rules of society if their relationships with these elements have been supportive and positive. Delinquent solutions may seem feasible when these relationships have been destructive or dysfunctional (Walsh, 2014). For instance, a boy raised in an environment where the family is accustomed to showing their anger through physical reactions will cause the child raised in that home to be more likely to engage in fights at school compared to a child in whose home there was almost no instance of fighting.
Another theory presented in this regard is the social interactionist theory, which explains delinquency from a give-and-take perspective in the society that continually occurs between individuals, social groups, and society. Positive social interaction leads towards a concern for justice, a desire for compliance and a positive social identity. Another aspect of the theory is the use of punishments and threats by individuals against other individuals to prevent deviance. For instance, parents may make demands of their children, supervisors may penalize workers, or a judge may sentence a convicted felon to jail. A lack of personal resources or certain attributes to achieve high aspirations limits the effectiveness of non-coercive forms of influence. Social interactionist theory underscores the social motivations of youth who influence others to obtain what they want by choosing possible alternative means for that influence (Osgood, 1997). An example of this is when new members in a gang are taught by older gang members that drugs, carrying weapons or stealing are acceptable, despite knowing that these behaviours oppose accepted social norms in the dominant culture.
In my view, the social structure theory combined with rational choice individual theory explains juvenile delinquency on a more accurate level. Delinquency can happen because of the inequality present in society and the inequality in the economic system that leads towards these disparities. Those who grew up in poor neighbourhoods and had no legitimate way to attain ambitions, status, or wealth may be frustrated and act out. That is supplemented when they make a rational choice by weighing their acts based on the frustration they had with the possible outcomes. For example, if such a person knew that he would be able to evade law enforcement or get out of prison soon, then the choice would be more natural for him to make. A combination of sociological factors and individual rational factors are leading youth towards delinquency, according to my understanding of the above theoretical perspectives.
Works Cited
Larry J. Siegel, Brandon C. Welsh. Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice, and Law. 13th. Boston, MA: Cengage, 2015.
Osgood, D. Wayne. Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Motivation and Delinquency. Vol. 44. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997. Conference publication.
Walsh, Anthony. “Social Process Theories.” Anthony Walsh, Craig Hemmens. Introduction to Criminology. 3rd. Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications, 2014. 149-196. <https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/19629_Section_5___Social_Process_Theories.pdf>.
