Prevalency of Delinquency in Adolescents

The rise of delinquency among adults is alarming. Many adolescents are indulging in criminal behaviors every day, attracting mass attention. They neglect their household duties to wander in the streets to engage in criminal activities such as drug abuse. These delinquency behaviors vary between girls and boys and gradually decrease in early adulthood. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze delinquency and its relationship to adolescents highlighting social learning theory that depicts this relationship.

 Delinquency behaviors are very prevalent among adolescents. Majorly, they are influenced by older juveniles who introduce them to criminal activities such as drug abuse. The rate of influence is very high among adolescents because at this stage, they are trying to define and relocate themselves hence easily swayed by societal happenings (Chung, 2018).  Similarly, criminal offenses increase among 11- 12 years adolescents trying out new things, thus influenced easily (Chung, 2018). Besides, these children under sixteen years are very aggressive and easily motivated to engage in delinquency behaviors (Chung, 2018). Therefore, the influence rate among adolescents has contributed to the prevalence of delinquency behaviors.

 Delinquency behaviors are very prevalent among adolescents subjecting them to various forms of criminal activities. Adolescents are curious to engage in new things and end up indulging in criminal acts such as drug abuse, running away from home, disrespecting their parents, and missing curfews. Research has indicated that many adolescents run from home to camp in the streets to acquire the freedom to engage in different behaviors (Tucker et al., 2010). Similarly,  the rate of criminal activities among adolescents is very high, where they engage in fighting and other aggressive crimes more frequently and consistently (Miller, 2014). This indicates that many adults engage in delinquency behaviors each day because of social forces such as families and friends that combine and influence them.

 Further analysis indicates that young children involved in the juvenile arrest are at a greater risk of being violent during adolescence. If the children’s behaviors are not corrected early, they are prone to delinquency behaviors during adolescence. Compared to those who engage in delinquency behaviors during adolescence, children who engage at the early stages of their development due to conditions such as conflicts at home are more likely to become serious criminal offenders (Gyansah et al., 2015). However, in most cases, as they approach adulthood, adolescents refrain from their criminal patterns and become better. They concentrate on important matters of life, such as career development. This indicates that delinquency behaviors increase from childhood to adolescence and decrease as they approach adulthood due to the emergence of commitments.

Several theories provide a great understanding of juvenile delinquency. These theories indicate that there exists a relationship between juvenile delinquency and adolescents. Social learning theory asserts this relationship. According to the theory, individuals learn new behaviors through copying and imitating their peers in their environment (Deaton, 2015). For example, children are at risk of acquiring antisocial behaviors if they associate with criminal offenders. During adolescents, young people learn and interact with each other as they try to redefine themselves. They may end up emulating people involved in crimes in their environment and get exposed to the criminal vices (Jensen, 2015. Therefore any inappropriate behaviors around them increase their susceptibility to delinquency behaviors.

In conclusion,  delinquency among adolescents is prevalent. Among the causes of delinquency among adolescents is influenced amongst themselves. They end up engaging in criminal acts in the process of trying. This is best illustrated by the social learning theory, where adolescents learn criminal vices from others around them. These behaviors are consistent until the age of sixteen years where most adolescents refrain from delinquency acts and concentrate on important matters in their life. Good parental guidance should be provided to avoid adolescent’s indulgence in criminal activities.

References

Chung, D. (2018). The Eight Stages of Psychosocial Protective Development: Developmental Psychology. Journal Of Behavioral And Brain Science, 08(06), 369-398. https://doi.org/10.4236/jbbs.2018.86024

Deaton, S. (2015). Social Learning Theory in the Age of Social Media: Implications for Educational Practitioners. I-Manager’s Journal Of Educational Technology, 12(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.26634/jet.12.1.3430

Gyansah, S., Soku, R., & Esilfie, G. (2015). Child Delinquency and Pupils’ Academic Performance in Fumesua Municipal Assembly Primary School in the EjisuJuaben Municipality, Ashanti Region, Ghana. Journal Of Education And Practice, 6(12).

Jensen, G. (2015). Social Learning Theory and the Explanation of Crime (2nd ed.). Science Direct.

Miller, L. (2014). Juvenile crime and juvenile justice: Patterns, models, and implications for clinical and legal practice. Aggression And Violent Behavior, 19(2), 122-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2014.01.005

Tucker, J., Edelen, M., Ellickson, P., & Klein, D. (2010). Running Away From Home: A Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Risk Factors and Young Adult Outcomes. Journal Of Youth And Adolescence, 40(5), 507-518. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-010-9571-0