1- At-risk youth are “any juveniles considered more susceptible to the influence of gangs and delinquent peers; characterized as having less developed reading skills, greater immaturity, lower socioeconomic status, parental dysfunction, and who are otherwise disadvantaged by their socioeconomic and environmental circumstances.” These children are usually living in poorer neighborhoods, one parent homes, and/or abusive violent environments.
We target at-risk youth for intervention programs in hopes to change the at-risk youths path in life. If these children are helped and guided at a young age we can attempt to direct them in a life free of criminal behavior and therefore avoid the consequence of incarceration. I believe society has a common goal of seeing children succeed. Our hopes to keep children free of the cycle of criminal behavior, will better us as an entire society.
2- The three types of theories discussed in chapter three are 1-Biological, 2-Psychological, 3-Sociological.
The biological theory explores delinquency as the result of internal or biological factors. These juveniles are destined to become delinquent because of factors beyond their own control, and/or because of hereditary or genetic makeup. An example of this is the xyy theory, “explanation of criminal behavior suggesting that some criminal are born with an extra y chromosome, characterized as the aggressive chromosome compared with the passive x chromosome; an extra y chromosome produces greater agitation, greater aggressiveness, and criminal propensities.
The psychological theory attributes criminal and delinquent behaviors to personality maladjustment or to some unusual cognitive condition. Freud’s psychoanalytic theory is an example of psychological theory stating “personality formation through the id, ego and supergo at various stages of childhood. Maintains that early life experiences influence adult behavior.”
The sociological theory is the youngest of the three theories and in the recent past has been studied more thoroughly. Sociology has been thought of to overlap the psychological theory. But in recent years we have looked deeper into the social aspects of juvenile behavior. One of the most prevalent example of the sociological theory is the labeling theory. This is where our young children perceive themselves as deviant or criminal through labels applied to them by others. This has long been a theory not only among juveniles delinquents but has plagued humankind in all aspects of life.
3- The three dispositions are 1-Nominal, 2-conditional, 3-custodial.
Nominal is the adjudicatory disposition resulting in lenient penalties such as warnings and/or probation. Conditional is a delinquency adjudication obligation youths to comply with one or more conditions of a probation or similar program. Custodial dispositions are divided into two groups: nonsecure, or secure. both resulting from a delinquency adjudication involving out-of-home placement, ranch placement, or a juvenile custodial facility placement. Nonsecure involves allowing the juvenile to leave with permission of parents or guardian. Secure custody is incarceration of the juvenile offender in a facility in which restricts movement in the community.
4- I believe the Death Penalty should NOT be a punishment for juveniles. Although I am a proponent for keeping the death penalty on the books for adults, it should not extend to those under the age of 18. Children are children and we have limited many of the rights or our children due to the fact of the childs accountable level and mental capacity. We don’t let them drive, or smoke, or drink alcohol until an age where we as a society feels that they can be accountable-for making good or bad choices. And if bad choices are made then they can be held accountable and punished accordingly. A childs brain doesn’t not grasp the accountability concept. We still attempt to discipline and guide
