Please write a 2 to 3 page paper based on some personal experience of delinquency. This can be about someone you knew as you were growing up, a family member, or maybe yourself. Describe the delinquent behaviors, and identify what you believe were the causes of the delinquency. Think about class discussions and use anything pertinent as you develop your theory of the delinquency.
Please type your papers. I will not accept hand-written assignments.
Make sure your name is on each page of your paper, and please staple the pages together.
This paper will be due on March 23.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Cultural Deviance
Theorists from this perspective look at the environment and sub-culture in which a juvenile resides. This perspective sees delinquency as a function of the surroundings or environment in which a juvenile lives. The saying, "society made me do it," could help to better understand this perspective.
Delinquency rates were, and are, consistently higher in inner city, impoverished neighborhoods. Looking at delinquency rates over time researchers found a very interesting thing. The delinquency rates for neighborhoods remained remarkably constant over time even though the population of the neighborhood often completely changed. A neighborhood might be Italian for a number of years, then change to mainly Irish, and then gradually change until it was almost completely African American, yet the delinquency rate stayed constant.
The cultural deviance theory would state that juvenile delinquency is a function of the environment. So what are the environmental conditions that are conducive to creating a delinquent environment? The social conditions that make up these areas are "deterioration; economic segregation; racial and ethnic segregation; a high incidence of social ills, such as infant mortality, mental illness, unemployment, divorce and desertion; and a high rate of dropping out of school.
A juvenile growing up in a culturally deviant area will be subjected to criminal lifestyles, and could learn deviant practices, patterns of behavior, and norms.
What are your thoughts about the cultural deviance theory of delinquency?
Delinquency rates were, and are, consistently higher in inner city, impoverished neighborhoods. Looking at delinquency rates over time researchers found a very interesting thing. The delinquency rates for neighborhoods remained remarkably constant over time even though the population of the neighborhood often completely changed. A neighborhood might be Italian for a number of years, then change to mainly Irish, and then gradually change until it was almost completely African American, yet the delinquency rate stayed constant.
The cultural deviance theory would state that juvenile delinquency is a function of the environment. So what are the environmental conditions that are conducive to creating a delinquent environment? The social conditions that make up these areas are "deterioration; economic segregation; racial and ethnic segregation; a high incidence of social ills, such as infant mortality, mental illness, unemployment, divorce and desertion; and a high rate of dropping out of school.
A juvenile growing up in a culturally deviant area will be subjected to criminal lifestyles, and could learn deviant practices, patterns of behavior, and norms.
What are your thoughts about the cultural deviance theory of delinquency?
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Does Juvenile Killer Deserve Life in Prison?
On November 9, 2009, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments challinging the constitutionality of juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences.
Defendent: Rudolfo Sandoval
Victim: Ryan Briner
Crime: First Degree Murder
Crime Date: May 5, 2004 in Ventura, CA.
Summary:
Rudolfo Sandoval shot and killed a random victim with a shotgun.
Facts:
Rudolfo Sandoval was a member of the Ventura Avenue Gangsters. The gang is Ventura's most prominent Hispanic criminal street gang, and its members commit a variety of crimes within the community, from assaults to drug-related offenses to murder.
Members of the Ventura Avenue Gang view most other gangs as their rivals, but they dislike gangs from Montalvo in particular. According to gang-crime experts, a Ventura Avenue Gang member's stock would rise in the gang if he were to shoot a random white male in Montalvo.
On May 4, 2004, Sandoval struck a man in the head with a shotgun and then gave the shotgun to Javier Acevedo, a fellow gang member, who shot up the victim's car.
The following evening, Sandoval and Acevedo decided to "go cruising" around Montalvo in Acevedo's car, which contained Acevedo's 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun. At around 11:25 pm, as the two drove down Wolverine Street in Montalvo, they spotted Ryan Briner, a 25-year-old white male walking toward his parents' home at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Sandoval and Acevedo exchanged words with Briner as they drove by him. They made a U-turn at the end of the street and parked. Sandoval, bearing the shotgun, and Acevedo walked toward Briner.
Briner, fearing a fist fight, removed his shirt and wrapped it around his fist. But when he was just a few feet from Briner, Sandoval fired the shotgun, blowing a two-inch hole in Briner's chest. Briner collapsed and, bleeding profusely, attempted to flee toward home, leaving a trail of blood in the street.
Sandoval fired a second shot, striking Briner in the back. Briner fell to the ground and bled to death. Sandoval and Acevedo returned to the car and drove away. Many people, including Briner's mother, witnessed the shooting. Briner's mother ran out into the street, saw her bloodied son on the ground and suffering, and broke down in tears.
After leaving the murder scene, Acevedo and Sandoval drove to Acevedo's grandmother's home, where Sandoval shaved his head to avoid detection. They managed to avoid police scrutiny for over six months, until Acevedo was stopped by police officers for a traffic offense. A search of his car revealed shotgun ammunition, methamphetamine, a shi-mask, and the 12-gauge shotgun used to kill Briner.
Both before and after his arrest, Sandoval told many people that he shot Briner.
What do you think: Does Rudolfo Sandoval deserve life in prison?
Defendent: Rudolfo Sandoval
Victim: Ryan Briner
Crime: First Degree Murder
Crime Date: May 5, 2004 in Ventura, CA.
Summary:
Rudolfo Sandoval shot and killed a random victim with a shotgun.
Facts:
Rudolfo Sandoval was a member of the Ventura Avenue Gangsters. The gang is Ventura's most prominent Hispanic criminal street gang, and its members commit a variety of crimes within the community, from assaults to drug-related offenses to murder.
Members of the Ventura Avenue Gang view most other gangs as their rivals, but they dislike gangs from Montalvo in particular. According to gang-crime experts, a Ventura Avenue Gang member's stock would rise in the gang if he were to shoot a random white male in Montalvo.
On May 4, 2004, Sandoval struck a man in the head with a shotgun and then gave the shotgun to Javier Acevedo, a fellow gang member, who shot up the victim's car.
The following evening, Sandoval and Acevedo decided to "go cruising" around Montalvo in Acevedo's car, which contained Acevedo's 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun. At around 11:25 pm, as the two drove down Wolverine Street in Montalvo, they spotted Ryan Briner, a 25-year-old white male walking toward his parents' home at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Sandoval and Acevedo exchanged words with Briner as they drove by him. They made a U-turn at the end of the street and parked. Sandoval, bearing the shotgun, and Acevedo walked toward Briner.
Briner, fearing a fist fight, removed his shirt and wrapped it around his fist. But when he was just a few feet from Briner, Sandoval fired the shotgun, blowing a two-inch hole in Briner's chest. Briner collapsed and, bleeding profusely, attempted to flee toward home, leaving a trail of blood in the street.
Sandoval fired a second shot, striking Briner in the back. Briner fell to the ground and bled to death. Sandoval and Acevedo returned to the car and drove away. Many people, including Briner's mother, witnessed the shooting. Briner's mother ran out into the street, saw her bloodied son on the ground and suffering, and broke down in tears.
After leaving the murder scene, Acevedo and Sandoval drove to Acevedo's grandmother's home, where Sandoval shaved his head to avoid detection. They managed to avoid police scrutiny for over six months, until Acevedo was stopped by police officers for a traffic offense. A search of his car revealed shotgun ammunition, methamphetamine, a shi-mask, and the 12-gauge shotgun used to kill Briner.
Both before and after his arrest, Sandoval told many people that he shot Briner.
What do you think: Does Rudolfo Sandoval deserve life in prison?
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