Juvenile Delinquency and Law Enforcement Report

Exam Content

A school resource officer is a specialist who understands the different laws and procedures governing juveniles. Imagine you are a school resource officer who has been tasked with evaluating Philip’s case as described below. You will create a report based on this case to share with the school authorities and the police department to build awareness on the underlying causes for juvenile delinquent behavior and highlight the challenges faced by the police in handling juveniles.

Scenario: Philip grew up in a tough, lower-socioeconomic neighborhood that was characterized by several cultures and high mobility. He never felt close to his parents, and he did not perform well in school. He valued such things as his fighting ability and his ability to con people. When he was 10 years old, he began to associate with delinquent peers who taught him how to steal cars and burglarize houses. He received rewards from his peers for his behavior and did not feel guilty for his delinquent acts. Instead, he would say that the people he stole from were wealthy enough to afford to replace the items, and most had insurance anyway.

Philip has been arrested for a house burglary. He shows no sign of remorse for what he has done and is being disrespectful to the police officers. His parents are not cooperating with the police and the intake officer refuses to take Philip in, as there is a space crunch in the holding facility. The police let Philip go after giving him a warning. This is Philip’s first time in the juvenile justice system.

Research juvenile causation theories and the problems faced by the police in handling juveniles.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word report to the school authorities and the police department.

Address the following in your paper:

Which social theories can be used to explain Philip’s behavior, and which social theory is most applicable here?

How is the deterrence theory applicable in this situation? Explain.

Describe the best way in which the police should process Philip’s case. Is this crime a status offense or a delinquent act?

Based on the type of crime, how should the police respond?

Which discretionary options can be used by the police in this scenario?

How should the police officer convey the seriousness of the charges to Philip?

What alternative steps or placements can a police officer try when a juvenile is not taken in by the intake officer?

What intervention programs could help Philip deal with his delinquent behavior?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines.

Minimum 1 scholarly reference is required.

ANSWER

Juvenile Delinquency and Law Enforcement Report

Juvenile delinquency entails underage individuals’ involvement in illegal actions, thus failing to meet social standards. These children tend to exhibit persistent behaviors of disobedience or mischievousness, thus being considered out of parental control and subject to legal action by the criminal justice system. Therefore, this report will focus on Phillip’s delinquent behavior and how law enforcement can respond to Phillips’s case.

Social Theories

Different social theories that explain juvenile delinquency include subculture, anomie, and differential opportunity theories. The central theories that can be used to explain the behaviors of Phillip are the anomie theory and the subcultural theory. According to anomie theory, crime occurs particularly due to the pressure exerted by unequal distribution of economic and social resources within the society. Anomie’s theory attempts to explain that juvenile delinquency tends to occur when the juveniles lack the means of making themselves happy (Burfeind and Bartusch, 2015). This means that their goals are unattainable through legal means, making them feel that the illegal means are more suitable for achieving their goals. Phillip engaged in delinquent behavior since he was not happy with the family relationship and did not perform well in school. Philip was not satisfied with his life since he felt that the people he stole from were wealthy enough to replace the items.

The subculture theory assumes that juvenile delinquency results from the union of young individuals who value deviant behaviors (Burfeind and Bartusch, 2015). The subculture groups formed by the juveniles engage in behaviors that are not socially accepted and rebel against the socially accepted behaviors. Phillip associated himself with a peer group that taught him to burglarize houses and steal cars. He did not feel the guilt of the acts since these actions made him fit in the subculture.

The most applicable theory is the anomie theory since the behaviors of Phillip were a result of the breakdown of the social process that led to higher conformity. Phillip has failed to attain their goals by legal means and feels that illegal means would be more suitable to achieve their goals. Phillip is happy with delinquent behaviors stealing and coning people, actions that make him feel happy and satisfied.

Deterrence Theory

Deterrence theory is based on the idea that criminals will choose not to engage in criminal behaviors due to the severity of punishment. The deterrence theory was developed on three major components: certainty, severity, and celerity, which are used to calculate how criminals desist from criminal behaviors (Paternoster, 2018). Therefore, the deterrence theory focuses on an individual’s balance between the cost and benefits of crime. For this case, Phillip received rewards from his peers, which took away the guilt for his delinquent behaviors. Phillip was only given a warning since it was his first time in the juvenile justice system. Therefore, regarding deterrence theory, Phillip engaged in the crime since there was no severe punishment and that there were more benefits than costs in committing the crimes.

Delinquent Act

The case of Philip should be processed as a delinquent act rather than a status offender. Ideally, a status offender means the juvenile has not committed a crime that would be considered a crime if committed by an adult (Morewitz, 2016). Considerably, burglarizing houses and stealing cars is a delinquent act since it does not constitute only because one is a minor. The crimes committed by Philip are a violation of law that can be prosecuted in court only that he is a juvenile thus would be prosecuted in the juvenile court. Philip has engaged in unlawful behavior of stealing cars and burglarizing houses as a minor thus, the best way the police can process Philip’s case should be a delinquent act.

How Police Should Respond to the Crime

The police should issue a warning and focus on the rehabilitation of Philip and social reintegration into society. The most effective rehabilitation interventions would be individual counseling, social skills training, community-based training, and behavioral programs. For instance, actions such as imparting social skills, behavioral self-control, and cognitive approach would play a great role in preventing delinquent acts (Cox, Allen, Hanser, et al., 2021). The rehabilitation should focus on the social reintegration of Philip with his family and the community. The social reintegration will help Philip desist from the crimes and successfully reintegrate with the community and eliminate possibilities of relapse of the criminal behavior.

Discretionary Options

The most effective discretionary options that the police can use for this scenario are release with warning and referral to a public social welfare agency. The release with a warning will be a conditional release used to warn Philip about their criminal activities rather than taking them through the juvenile court process. Referring them to a public social welfare agency will directly offer preventive, remedial, and developmental programs and deal with the compromised family and social networks that have resulted in criminal behaviors.

Conveying the Seriousness of the Charges to Philip

To convey the seriousness of the charges, the police officer can detain the minor before issuing a warning (counseling and releasing), detaining until parents come, or referring to a juvenile court officer. Detaining Phillip and warning him about the consequences of the crime before releasing them will convey the seriousness of the charges. The minor should be held during this period until the parents or guardians arrive. The police officer can also place Philip in custody and refer him to the juvenile court officer. This means including a probation or intake officer responsible for processing the juvenile within the juvenile justice system (Cox, Allen, Hanser, et al., 2021).

Public Social Welfare Agency Placement

When a juvenile is not taken in by the intake officer, the police officer should refer them to a public social welfare agency that directly offers remedial, developmental, and preventive programs. The social welfare agency engages in activities and services designed for the protection, care, and rehabilitation of youth and children in difficult situations to ensure adjustment and growth, and development.

Intervention Programs

Social skills training and rehabilitation programs could help Philip deal with his delinquent actions. The social skills training program will generally rely on the cognitive-behavioral techniques that will train Philip to better handle at-risk situations such as family conflicts, peer pressure, offending and heightened emotions (Siegel and Welsh, 2016). The rehabilitation program will focus on correction and behavior therapy to reduce the chances of repeating the crime. These programs will focus on efforts to stop Philip from offending.

References

Burfeind, J., & Bartusch, D. (2015). Juvenile delinquency: An integrated approach. Routledge.

Cox, S. M., Allen, J. M., Hanser, R. D., & Conrad, J. J. (2021). Juvenile justice: A guide to theory, policy, and practice. Sage publications.

Morewitz, S. J. (2016). Court responses to runaway offenses and other juvenile status violations. In Runaway and Homeless Youth (pp. 187-193). Springer, Cham.

Paternoster, R. (2018). Perceptual deterrence theory. Deterrence, choice, and crime: Contemporary perspectives, 23, 81-106.

Siegel, L. J., & Welsh, B. C. (2016). Juvenile delinquency: The core. Cengage Learning.