3. General context of individual views of delinquency  Discuss Choice Theory and Trait Theory. Be familiar with and distinguish between the two branches of individual-level theories of delinquency  Know the principles of choice theory  Discuss the routine activities theory of delinquency  Know the principles of general deterrence theory  Discuss the concept of general deterrence theory  Trace the history and development of trait theory  Be familiar with the branches and substance of biological trait theory

4.  Scientific Method  Hypothesis - guess  Experimentation – trials  Data – collecting results  Theory  Educated guess  Effort to explain or make sense of data  Foundation of criminology and the basis of action – everything done in criminology is based on this  Doesn’t apply to Everyone!

5.  Philosophers formed the Core of Rational Choice Theory  Choice Theory holds that the decision to violate the law comes after a careful weighing of the benefits Delinquents choose to commit crime because they find violating the law attractive…

6.  The view that delinquents choose to violate the law remains a popular approach to the study of delinquents  In reality, many youths from affluent families choose to break the law  Why, what drives them to the need?  Delinquent motives include:  Economic need/opportunity  Problem solving  False expectations  Opportunity

7.  Developed by Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson  The view that crime is a normal function of the routine activities of modern living  To have a crime, a motivated offender must come to the same place as an attractive target.  Opportunity driven.

8. General Deterrence  Crime control policies that depend on the fear of criminal penalties, i.e long prison sentences for violent crime Specific Deterrence  Sending convicted offenders to secure incarceration facilities so that punishment is severe enough to convince them not to repeat their criminal activity  Choice theory helps us understand criminal events and victim patterns

9.  Poll – Juvi 2, Poll 1, 2, 3  Do you think that people who commit crime are physically or mentally abnormal?  Is there a link between sugar and antisocial behavior?  Is there a link between hormones and antisocial behavior?

10.  Both biological and psychological traits have been linked to criminal behavior, but not as causal linkages.  It is the “multiple factor” approach or the interaction of mental and physical traits with environmental and social factors that either suppress or trigger criminal behavior.  The focus is generally on persistent or chronic offenders.

11.  Focuses on the association between biological makeup, environmental conditions, and antisocial behaviors  There’s evidence that a child’s diet may influence his/her behavior (consider sugar)  Hormonal levels are an explanation of why there are gender differences in delinquency  It’s possible that increased levels of testosterone are responsible for excessive violence among teenage boys There can be multiple reasons for delinquent behavior.

12. Condition in which a child shows a developmentally inappropriate lack of attention and response to impulse Studies show that arrested children tend to have a higher LD than children in the general population Learning Disabilities Teenage Brains ADHD Teenage brains make them crime prone

13.  Many delinquent youths have unhealthy home lives  Psychodynamic Theory  Branch of psychology that holds that the human personality is controlled by the unconscious mental processes – have you ever had a smell or a song that reminds you of something?  Behavioral Theory  Argument that personality is learned throughout life during interaction with others  Cognitive Theory  Studies the perception of reality and the mental processes required to understand the world we live in

14.  The research methodologies that are employed are invalid and/or poorly designed  Personality and IQ are spread evenly across the social structure If individual traits were the true cause of delinquency, then it too should be spread evenly across society, but it isn’t.

15.  Prevention efforts should be directed at strengthening a youth’s home life and relationships. Strong family bonds.  We should focus on testing and correcting deficiencies with meds or counseling  Individual approaches have been used to prevent adjudicated youths from engaging in further criminal activities  Critics argue that the more we try to help youths, the more likely they will be to see themselves as different or as troublemakers

16.  Choice and Trait Theory, is there a connection?  Different Theories  Biosocial  Biochemical  Neurological  Genetic  Psychological  Media Violent behavior  Do we know why juveniles do the things they do?

18. General Context of Sociological Views of Delinquency  Be familiar with the association between social conditions and crime  Discuss the effect of racial disparity on delinquency  Describe the principles of social disorganization theory  Be familiar with recent developments in strain theory  Discuss the concepts of social process and socialization  Discuss the elements of social control theories  Explain how the labeling process is related to delinquent careers

19.  Many troubled youths aren’t able to turn around their lives – they don’t know where to begin and lack the physical and mental resources necessary  Most delinquents are indigent and desperate  Delinquents often live in tough urban environments in families torn apart and in stress What impact might these facts have on youth?

20.  What are the social factors believed to cause or affect delinquent behaviors?  Interpersonal interactions (relationships)  Community ecological conditions (environment)  Social change  Socioeconomic status (poverty)  Minority poverty  The consequences of racial disparity and poverty take a harsh toll on minority youths  About 6% of white, 11% of black and 22% of Hispanics drop out of high school each year  There are more blacks in prison than in college in the US

21.  Oscar Louis coined the phrase “culture of poverty”  The view that lower class people form a separate culture with their own values and norms (smoking dope, living on welfare, and stealing cable are OK)  The impoverished are deprived of a standard of living enjoyed by the other citizens  The theories tie delinquency rates to both socioeconomic conditions (e.g. poverty, neighborhood deterioration) and cultural values

22. Social Disorganization  Relative Deprivation- condition that exists when people of wealth and poverty live in close proximity to one another (“They have everything and we have nothing – it’s not fair”)  Community Change – poorer neighborhoods are transient  Community Fear – don’t get involved  Poverty Concentration  Collective Efficacy- process in which mutual trust and a willingness to intervene in the supervision of children and help maintain public order create a sense of well- being – it takes a village to raise a child  Gangs - some of the most common reasons for joining a gang -- status and belonging

24.  Sociologists argue that the root cause of delinquency may be traced to learning delinquent attitudes from peers, experiencing conflict in the home, etc.  Socialization is the process of guiding people into acceptable behavior patterns  Early socialization experiences have a lifelong influence on self-image, values, and behaviors  The 2 nd main branch of the social process approach, suggests that the cause of delinquency resides in the strength of the relationships a child forms with conventional individuals and groups

25.  Society is in a constant state of internal conflict  Those in power use the justice system to maintain their status while keeping others subservient (sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine)  The poor may or may not commit more crimes than the rich, but they are certainly arrested more often (would OJ have been convicted the first time if he wasn’t rich?)

26.  How does society view famous juveniles or adults when in trouble?  Do the rich and famous get off with lighter sentences?  Is it because “they” have the money and power to hire top lawyers?  Why do teen actors turn to criminal behavior?  Drugs and alcohol  Did they Choose to, if so for what reason?

27.  Social programs have been designed to reduce/eliminate delinquency  Do they work?  Has the reduction in these programs had a negative affect?  Delinquency can be prevented by strengthening the socialization process (Head Start type programs)  Restorative justice  An approach that relies on non-punitive strategies for delinquency control