Abstract This paper examines a series of topics - gun control, age of sentencing, capital punishment, education and punishment of a crime - from the competing liberal/conservative points-of-view. These points of view are then, in turn, applied to the controversial topic of youthcrime and what is to be done to stanch its spread. Ultimately, the paper argues that both sides have some of the answers - but not all of them.
From the Paper "Youth crime and punishment has long been a serious controversy in America, not least of all because a perception exists - at least in some quarters - that youthful criminals are not treated severely enough by the justice system. The following paper will examine five topics - gun control, age of sentencing, capital punishment, education for criminals and punishment for the commission of a crime - and provide both the liberal and conservative side of the issue. What should emerge is a recognition that both sides present compelling arguments in favor of their position - and that both sides do not have all the answers. With that in mind, it is to a discussion of the aforementioned topics that this paper now turns. Gun control is a very serious issue that is made more serious by the fact that guns are readily accessible to young people."
Abstract This paper presents a review of literature on urban youthcrime. The paper discusses a number of aspects relating to the topic including depression and urban delinquency, school bonds and delinquency, family practices and urban delinquency reform.
From the Paper "This literature review, concerning the topic of juvenile delinquency in urban areas, addresses the following relevant areas: introduction to juvenile delinquency in urban areas, depression and urban delinquency, school bonds and urban delinquency, parent and family practices and urban delinquency, social influences of urban delinquency, multiple causes of urban delinquency, urban delinquency reform and summary and conclusions. Juvenile delinquency in urban areas is higher than juvenile offending in other neighborhoods and these rates are higher..."
Abstract In this essay the writer discusses a theory about youthcrime in Huberville between the years of 1960 and 1990 and why this rate began to decrease after 1990. Furthermore, the writer attempts to explain how this theory of delinquency might have an influence on the legal ideology of juvenile justice in the city. Lastly, the writer discusses social policies which may stabilize or decrease the crime rate of the youth in Huberville. The writer concludes that Huberville's working and immigrant class may benefit from a program such as the one mentioned in the paper, which gives youth at risk someone whom they are close to and do not want to disappoint and who will encourage more conventional behavior.
From the Paper "This theory of criminal activity however does not explain why the crime rate among the youth as well as the adult of Huberville increased from 1960 to 1990 and then began to decrease when the city was revitalized. Although the city changed from a more stable city environment before 1959 to a more transient environment after that date, many of the same youths who were present before 1959 were still present after 1959. If these individuals had self control before that date it would stand to reason that they still had self control after that date so there must have been something that changed other than the level of self control which the youth possessed that would encourage them to engage in more criminal behavior. One thing that had changed in Huberville shortly before the crime rate increased was that the largest employer in the city closed its doors. This action which plunged Huberville into a recession also led to high unemployment rate of people would did possess the self control to work for a living before the jobs left town."
Abstract This paper covers the integration of the SDS model in the prevention of youthcrime program within Jersey City and implicitly involves the community and health care providers in its integration.
Abstract This paper reviews the statistics and empirical data concerning the perceived increase in youthcrime. The paper examines reasons why crime has not actually increased. The paper provides a focus on Canadian crime and the Young Offender's Act (YOA), outlining the many changes evident since the implementation of the YOA. The writer illustrates how varying police procedures effect the statistics available of youth violence.
From the Paper "The topic of youth violence and the debate within the public realm as to whether or not it is increasing, both in quantity and severity, is a highly complex and disputed question. If a friend of mine asked me to address this issue, I would recount to them the issues revolving crime statistics and analysis, the tendency for statistics to be misrepresented by the media, and the differing opinions of scholars within the field."
Abstract This paper studies the disposition of youthcrime in the justice system. The paper focuses on key issues in the debate over juvenile justice, in an attempt to develop ethical ways of redress the rising phenomenon.
Abstract The paper discusses Miami, Florida's trend of attacks on the disabled, elderly and homeless by teenagers. The paper looks at Orem's nursing model and demonstrates how community health nursing interventions might be used for this vulnerable population. The paper explains that community nurses will need to advocate for change and collaborate with agencies such as the Miami-Dade County YouthCrime Task Force (YCTF). The paper shows how through use of the model, youth can enlarge their options for decision-making, can begin to be empowered and to enjoy improved quality of life.
From the Paper "Miami, Florida is the site of a most disturbing trend of attacks on the disabled, elderly, and especially the homeless. What makes these crimes so socially significant is that they very often are committed by preadolescent children who are influenced by teenagers. In a recent highly publicized case, a Vietnam veteran who was both disabled and homeless was severely beaten with bricks by a teenager and two ten-year-old boys. In another case, a homeless man was beaten to death by two teenagers; the crime was captured on a bank security tape."
Abstract This paper focuses on the current Ontario government's policies regarding youthcrime. The Ontario Crime Control Commission report on youthcrime, "Tough on Crime" is outlined. It is argued that this policy is directed toward punishment as deterrence and will, ultimately, be unsuccessful in reducing rates of youthcrime.
Abstract This is an argumentative paper about violence on television and its impact on youth. The author argues that television violence influences youthcrime. Included is a classification of different kinds of violence on TV and a comparison of violence between the different genders.
From the Paper "Most people in our society generally have the opinion that violence on television increases aggression in children and adolescents. Does it ? Who is to say whether television has a positively direct effect or a positive correlation ? However, the majority of the people who have researched this topic have discovered that violence on television is indeed one of the prime factors contributing to the increase in violent and aggressive behavior among the youth in society. That is to say "there has been a growth of strong evidence to suggest that television violence does play an important and contributory part in the learning of aggression." In other words, violence in the media helps promote and encourage children and adolescents to freely express their abusive behavior. As a result, the topic of my essay will help support the issue that violence in the media causes abusive behavior in youths. Furthermore, I will emphasize if there are any differences in aggressive behavior between the genders. "
Abstract The paper blames the rise of youthcrime on the lack of religion in America and then explains the advantage of having religion as a part of one's life. It proposes that schools teach religion and morality to its students in order to produce good, upstanding citizens. The paper examines the history of religion in school, gives an overview of current policy, and examines both sides of the issue. It shows that religion in school has many more benefits than it does harmful effects.
From the Paper "The role of public schools is to educate our youth. When our country was young, prayer and Bible teachings were a standard part of the curriculum. Students leaned reading, writing and arithmetic, in addition, the school had a role of instilling values that would make the student good members of the community and a valuable part of society. Now things have changed and we are a country made of a much more diverse population. There are many groups who feel that they are being persecuted if they are made to assume a certain religion in school. This brings the role of the school and its social purpose into question."
Abstract This paper examines the so-called evolution of the concept of "juvenile delinquency" in late Victorian England. The object of the paper is to show that the notion of youthcrime was considerably altered during this period--and has served as an exemplar of present-day systems.
From the Paper "The notion that juvenile delinquency in particular and crimes committed by child and adolescents in general were separate from crimes committed by adults is considered a recent construct. In fact it was not until the first half of the the 19th century in England that such a notion first came about. A corollary to this was the idea that these types of crimes and criminals should be treated differently from hardened adult criminals..."
A paper which discusses the way the Canadian public percieves crime rate in its country and the need for public policy makers to become better educated on the subject.
Abstract The paper shows that perhaps the greatest misconceptions that are held by the Canadian public relating to youthcrime are in regard to the actual crime rates. Canadians tend to drastically overestimate both the occurrence and severity of youthcrime, as well as crime in general. It describes how Canadians believe that crime rates have increased, that the proportion of violent crime is greater than the facts would suggest, and that the crime rate in Canada is equal to or worse than the crime rate of the United States. The paper investigates the need to improve the awareness of public policy makers to the actual crime rate, especially among the youth, and shows that with such improvements, public policy makers will hopefully be more confident in their considerations of public perception when creating effective legislation that protects and represents society.
From the Paper "Public Policy, by definition, is policy that is made to protect, serve, and represent society as a whole. Ideally, public policy should adhere to the utilitarian goals of providing the most good to the greatest number of people, while making a concerted effort to protect minority interests. As with many political theories and entities, the ideal situation seldom becomes reality, as has been the case with crime related public policy in Canada. It often appears that public policy is created to satisfy the short-term demands of the public and to secure the greatest number of votes for the greatest number of elected representatives."
Tags: act, alternative, crime, measures, offenders, violence, young
Abstract This paper discusses the implementation of the Young Offenders Act (YOA), that was enacted in order to attempt to reduce youthcrime in Canada. The paper analyzes research that discusses the reasons why youthcrime fell each year from 1991 until 1996 and the fact that apprehension and charging rates over time tended to be due to legislative changes rather than actual changes in criminal behavior.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Crime in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s: The Young Offenders Act
YouthCrime in Canada Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act
Comparison with "Other" Crime: Workplace Violence
Conclusion
From the Paper "Overall, the findings indicate that in terms of youth crime in Canada, changes in apprehension and charging rates over time tend to be due to legislative changes rather than actual changes in criminal behavior. Recent results indicate that in the last few years, increases in chargeable youth rates were probably owing to technical reporting factors rather than changed police charging practices. Regarding another form of crime, workplace violence has decreased in Canada over the years in every sector apart from the health care, welfare and community service industries, which experienced marked increases. Reasons behind these changes are probably social and political in nature. Heightened scores in some provinces were found to be probably related to the fact that there are a greater proportion of residents in these areas working in high risk sectors for workplace violence."
Abstract This paper explains that the criminal justice system has long treated the young differently from adults, but community attitudes have changed in recent years so that this policy is in question. It discusses the concerns about youthful violence and how this has led to calls for a change in the criminal justice system in order to increase the punishment possible for certain young offenders, especially those involved in violence.
From the Paper "Other statistics are even more frightening. Webber cites the Children's Defense Fund, which estimates that an American child is arrested for a violent crime every 5 minutes and is killed by guns every 2 hours. Nine in 10 young murder victims in the industrialized world are Americans. Between 1979 and 1991, nearly 50,000 American children were killed by guns, which is more than the number of Americans killed in Vietnam in 25 years. An American child is 15 times more likely to be killed by gunfire in the United States than a child living in Northern Ireland. More than half the people arrested for murder in the United States in 1991 were under age 25, and juvenile arrests for murder and non?negligent manslaughter rose 93 percent between 1982 and 1991. It is more and more common for young people to kill each other, and 55 percent of juvenile homicides in 1995 involved friends and acquaintances (Webber)."
Abstract This paper looks at how there are many institutional methodologies targeted at dealing with and preventing youthcrime and how some institutions and officials favor coercive measures, while others encourage developmental and assessment programs that promote problem solving. It evaluates how the Police and Citizen's Youth Club of Australia is an example of a developmental institution or agency. It examines how it is an organization formed of sergeants and volunteers, whose purpose and philosophy encourages the use of positive reinforcement as a means to prevent and address youth criminal activity. The organization does not use force and severe regulations to prevent youthcrime, but rather uses education and recreational activity to turn youths away from potentially harmful activities.
From the Paper "Some youths are already also deeply enmeshed in a circle of youth crime. For such individuals, much like a hardened criminal, coercive measure are often necessary to gain obedience. Some youths need much structure and authority to succeed. Many grow up in disadvantaged households, and don?t learn or acquire adequate coping mechanisms to help them deal with potential harmful activity. Many youths also model their behavior after their families and peers. If a youth therefore, grows up in a particular disadvantaged environment, one where for example the child is abused, recreational activities are unlikely to deter the incumbent from potential criminal activity. Sometimes institution of strict measures, such as curfews and similar checks, are necessary to provide more structure in often chaotic lives."
