overviewofjuveniledelinquency.docVIP

Overview of juvenile delinquency Juvenile delinquency can be defined as that behavior on the part of children, which may, under the law, subject those children to juvenile court laws.? It is the legal invention of the 19th century that did not exist either under the English common law or under early Roman law.? Both these legal systems regarded very young children as beyond the reach of the law, and for offenders between the ages of? 7 and 14, provisions were made for the determination of the childs responsibility before the law.? Once this determination was made, however, the child was either subject to the same criminal law as were adults, or he was beyond its reach.? There were no special courts for juveniles. Despite the enormous amount of study devoted to it, many questions about juvenile delinquency still remain unanswered.? The term covers a wide range of legally forbidden acts committed by young people who may be anywhere from 10 to 25 years of age.? The highly varied misbehavior of these young people, who differ greatly in personal background, development, experience, and situation, is no homogenous phenomenon.? One view is that delinquent behavior develops when a youngsters rewards in terms of money and goods, excitement, fellowship or revenge out weighed the costs of getting caught. The extent of youthful crime is hard to judge.? There is no certainty regarding just how much delinquency there is in the United States or in any other country of the world, or whether the current amount represents an increase or a decrease over the past several decades.? Many believe that the rate of juvenile delinquency today is higher than ever.? The first juvenile court was established in Cook County, Ill in 1899.? However, there is evidence that the rate of juvenile delinquency in the United States in the early 1900s and into the 1920s was as high as it is today (Colliers Encyclopedia). Since the second World War, a substantial increase in juvenile convictions has been re