Adolescence and Delinquency

Essay # 61794

Child, Youth Issues
Criminology > Juvenile Justice
Sociology

An overview of juvenile delinquency in America and the possible reasons for it.

2,513 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

Adolescence is a term that defines the life interval between childhood and adulthood. This paper analyzes the main reasons why experts feel there is a wide range of juvenile delinquency in America today and why it is on the increase. It looks at biological reasons as well as temperament theories. It also takes into account the nation's drug problem.

From the Paper:

"According to Linda Gordon's study or sexual abuse, or incest, from 1880-1930 10 percent of case records from the Boston child-protection agency were for incest. About 98 percent of these cases involved father-daughter, and had a common pattern: the family relations made the daughter victim into second wives. What Gordon meant by this is that the daughter would take over many of the roles the mother played, like cooking, cleaning, and childcare for her younger siblings. Even though many of these adolescent girls lived in these strict environments, many of them sought escape and from there victimization, loitering on the streets where their low self-esteem made them easily exploitable. "