Delinquency Among The Adolescents – Criminology Research Proposal

Abstract

The research proposal wholesomely seeks to establish the major contributing factors to the onset of the evident delinquency among the adolescents rationally.This study gets based in the United States. This research aims at establishing the possible interventions that can adequately be employed by the criminal justice system in their attempts to assist the young offending generations before their delinquency can graduate into the attention of the criminal justice system. Identification of the major factor components contributing to the onset of delinquency among the adolescent sheds light into the establishment of effective delinquency intervention and prevention measures.

The proposal, therefore, focuses on four particular distinct issues as the leading and broad categories of contributors to Delinquency Among The Adolescents In Developed Countries like the United States. The four issues are; media influence, child maltreatment, adolescent’s free lives and neighborhood disadvantage. This research gets entirely based on the idea that with a conclusive understanding of the root causes of juvenile delinquency, we can be successful in our attempts at preventing the onset of delinquency in anadolescent.

Theresearch, therefore, examines and outlines the first-hand findings on the causes of delinquency in adolescents. We can, therefore, utilize the key findings of this research in eradicating the identified causes of delinquency among the adolescents for us to keep our communities safe and friendly for all.

Introduction

Throughout the entire times of crime prevention, researchers have invested their time and skills in establishing the most effective crime preventing measures. The criminal justice system has been the mostapplicable model for crime intervention. However, the young generation has not showed a recognizable positive response to the criminal justice system(Flowers, 1986). They do not cope well with the system.

Sometimes the system is too harsh on them with much labeling effect making the environment more unfriendly thereby only accelerating their hatred for people and the surrounding. Research has always revealed that the criminal justice system has no clear considerations of the root causes of delinquency among the young offendersAmerican Society of Criminology (Frost et al., 2010). We therefore as a parental community, are obligated with tasks of seeking for the most effective methods, techniques and ways of preventing, reducing and combating delinquency among the adolescents in our midst.

Our people, our responsibility! It is imperative that we understand the adolescents, show involvement in their lives so as to be able to identify the interest stages in their lives that get associated with the onset of the evident criminal lifestyles that most of them live. With proper and appropriate knowledge about the adolescents in our communities, we can, therefore, understand the onset of delinquency in them and be able to prevent timely them from developing into the criminal justice system(Child Welfare League of America, 1998).

The research questions and hypotheses

The whole research idea is to familiarize us with the understanding about the onset delinquency contributors among the adolescent.  It thus poses the research question as ‘the contributing factors to the onset of delinquency among the adolescents, focusing on the media influence, child maltreatment, adolescent’s free lives, and the neighborhood disadvantaged.  The research has endless potentials in shining alight to the individual parents and the community at large in matters about adolescents delinquencies. The research will, therefore, develop the understanding of the community to the prevention strategies govern with the factors that contribute to the onset of the adolescent delinquency.

The entire concept of the research is of great significance to the community developmental programs, the public agencies, the national youth services such as the youth mentoring programs, the youth independent units, the criminal justice departmental studies related to the youths and the family members. It examines the roles and need for the family involvements into the lives of the adolescents. Practices like youth monitoring and their significant contributions to the lives of the youths.

The results of this research should, therefore, have a great individual and societal impact.Individual members of the society should, therefore, find pleasure in implementing the results of this research by creating public awareness campaigns. They also lead on by initiating the youth mentoring programs and effectively integrating policy measures that would assist the whole community and individual family members to show great involvement with concern into the lives of the adolescents so as to prevent the onset of delinquency.

 

From the major research points of concern, the following are the research hypotheses;

  • Childhood uncontrolled media freedom can contribute to violent delinquent

Media influence includes among others the violent programs thatrequire the parental advice and the adult shows with content not appropriate for the young. These programs are not appropriate for the young children. Young children are creative and quick at acquiring models from their perceptions regarding what they see and desire. The research on this hypothesis will present questions relating to the relationships between media and adolescent delinquent.

  • Child maltreatment contributes to adolescent delinquency

This hypothesis has questions that revolve around the history as well as the relationship of the family violence. It will focus on the family abuse or victimization to the life of the child and adolescent delinquency.

  • Inappropriate neighborhood causes juvenile delinquency. This hypothesis revolves around the surrounding neighborhood, its effect on the life of the child growing in such a disadvantaged neighborhood.
  • Lack of child or youth monitoring contributes to adolescent delinquency. It relates to the lack of parental involvement in the life of the child and its associated impacts to the child.

Research objectives

The objectives of this research include the following;

  • To provide the red signs or indications to the factors of negative media influence to the child or an adolescent.
  • To establish the indications of child maltreatment practices.
  • To provide signs of a disadvantaged neighborhood and expose us to signs of lack of monitoring in the young all geared to the establishment of effective preventive and intervention measures to the onset of delinquency among the adolescents.

Developing effective and appropriate prevention and intervention measures to the onset contributors to juvenile delinquencies at the family level is of great impact to the fight against delinquency among the adolescents. Throughout the years, It has been noted that effective prevention of juvenile delinquency has much to do with the input from the community, family as well as youth services. Integration of these three bodies has always proven more effective than the juvenile justice system.

Literature review

Media and child maltreatment has a direct delinquency effect on the young. It is according to the article ‘Understanding the link between childhood maltreatment and violent delinquency’ by Scott, Crooks, Chiodo and Killip (2007). In the research, child media influence and maltreatment assessment were done with the help of the Child Trauma questionnaires in the northern states.  The results were that the male children who got exposed to media without control coupled with maltreatment stood higher chances of delinquency.

It got also noted that the parental involvement in the children lives played a significant role in the modification of the individual child behavior. The questionnaires were supplemented with direct interviews to ensure that the research methods were both qualitative and quantitative.

The disadvantage neighborhoods have significant influence on the youth’s behavior and delinquency (Lacourse et al., 2007)(Cavanagh et al., 1999). According to the journal with the title ‘affiliations to the youth gangs during adolescence’, they found out that there was a significant chance for youths in the Canadian gang full neighborhood to join the gangs.

These people used the survey method to study the Canadian neighborhood targeted small group. The findings pointed out the effects of the disadvantaged neighborhood to the adolescent growing within it. They got exposed to the lives they see in the surrounding and chances are high for them to follow the footprints of the ones they can see.

Data collection

The research got dominatedby the quantitative methods that suit best in generating precise data. These methods provide for the specific requirements and details that form the baseline standard for the effective data reporting. In the research, the standard variables are the details such as gender, age and area of residence.

Supplementary questionnaires that suit well for the quantitative surveys also are deemed appropriate for the study. The questionnaire covers details about the age bracket, social class, behavior, attitude, among others to help generate the general but detailed profile of an individual.

The results of this research will get measuredregarding their effects upon practice and the geographical coverage or reflection of the results. The analysis will be done by the key research domains and the establishment of the trustworthiness of the gathered and presented information, how well the information got gathered, where and by whom. It will entail the descriptive analysis that includes the description of my purpose of study including the study site as well as the people involved in my study. The results of this research will be presented in a report accessible to the larger populations as depicted by its scope.

Conclusion

Media influence the social networks, child maltreatment, disadvantaged neighborhoods and lack of parental involvement are the core cultivators to delinquency among the adolescents. They get associated with the core causes of delinquency in adolescents. Community, parental and youth programs play vital roles in fostering change among the adolescents.

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