Classifying Delinquency

When discussing the issue of juvenile delinquency most people generalize this topic by categorizing all persons under the age of 18 into one broad group. This way of oversimplifying and categorizing a group of offenders does not help when trying to prevent and rehabilitate them. Instead of one grand explanation for delinquency, it may be more accurate to think of one explanation for those who begin their criminal careers at a later age and one for those who begin their criminal careers earlier (Patterson & Yoerger, 1993). Simply labeling a person due to their age and putting them into a large group based on their age is narrow minded thinking and does not help solve the problem. This way of categorizing juveniles assumes they are all psychologically similar. “Assuming that all teenagers who commit crimes are psychologically similar is wrong.” (Moffitt, 1993) To obtain more accurate research and to properly prevent and reduce juvenile delinquency we must classifying youth offenders into two narrower groups “early occurring and late blooming” offenders. Early occurring delinquents are youth who commit their first offense prior to the age of 15.  Late blooming delinquents are classified as youth who commit their first offense at the age of 15 or later.

It’s always difficult when trying to classify youth into groups because each offender has a unique situation. Some kids straighten out their lives after a few, petty delinquent acts, while others “spiral downward into serious crime” (Moffitt & Harrington, in press). However, research has shown that late bloomers are less likely to become career criminals than early occurring delinquents. Adolescents who start delinquent activities at ages 15-17 are more inclined to stop delinquent behavior as they mature. In fact, almost 85 percent of late bloomers by the age 28 have stopped committing crimes (Moffitt, 1993). These adolescents account for the majority of delinquent offenders. The majority of these offenders commit few delinquent acts and few serious crimes, most stop offending by the time they reach maturity. Psychologically these offenders are deemed as normal. Most offenders are socially skilled, popular amongst their peers, and have no prior problems. Late-blooming adolescents can be found in most communities, their families appear to be less disadvantaged than those of early occurring delinquents, and the parents appear more skillful in family management practices (Steinberg, 1987).

There are a number of influencing factors that cause late blooming delinquents. The most commonly accepted factors are: antisocial peer pressure, poor parental supervision, and the desire to participate in adult activities. Teenagers constantly want to be treated as adults and make their own decisions. Delinquency may be one of the only tastes of adulthood available to young people (Steinberg, 1991). According to Moffitt and Harrington (in press), “every curfew broken and car stolen is a statement of independence and maturity”. It is common that these offenders merely lack maturity and responsibility. These offenders are more likely to stop offending with time. As they become older and more mature, the majority acquire jobs and families thus ending their brief criminal careers.

Early occurring offenders are far more problematic than late blooming offenders. When youth begin committing crimes at an earlier age than 15, most develop antisocial behaviors and continue committing criminal activity as adults.  The causes of these offenders are very different than late blooming offenders and require a different response.

Most early occurring offenders show signs as early as preschool. Early predictors are: aggression, impulsiveness, lack of social skills, and lack of self-control. Factors such as hyperactivity or genetic influences may predispose these youngsters to delinquency, but they don’t tell the whole story (Steinberg, 1989). Early delinquents are often a result of poor parenting. According to some studies, about 30 to 40 percent of child antisocial behavior can be accounted for by family interaction patterns (Patterson, 1986; Yoshikawa, 1994). This is caused by negative interactions such as violence and yelling between family members and poor parenting. In normal families children use both aggressive and socially acceptable ways of resolving problems. Antisocial children try to resolve conflict by using only aggressive ways, such as whining, temper tantrums, or physical violence. If parents allow this aggressive problem solving behavior to continue, this teaches the child that aggression works. Patterson, Bank, and their colleagues have determined that parenting practices produce antisocial behavior in children; antisocial behavior, in turn, leads to delinquency in early adolescence. Overtime this behavior has a “snowball effect” and progressively becomes worse as the child develops.

After classifying the adolescents we can then begin assisting them with their problems. Late blooming juveniles are often easier to treat. These juveniles are psychologically stable and are able to interact socially amongst their peers. To prevent them from committing delinquency they need to be taught how to not succumb to negative peer pressure. Getting them involved in time consuming programs with constant monitoring by positive mentors will also prevent them from committing delinquency. Early occurring delinquents are more difficult due to their antisocial nature. These adolescents have developed antisocial tendencies which needs to be addressed and then retaught how to interact socially amongst their peers in a socially acceptable manner. To affectively rehabilitate early occurring juveniles we need to be involved with their family and parents. The parents play a big role in the development of antisocial behavior and therefore need to learn how to properly act and discipline their child. Once the child establishes what is and isn’t socially acceptable behavior can they begin to properly interact amongst their peers.

When we classify delinquents into two groups we can then determine how to properly treat the delinquents. Late blooming delinquents are typically psychologically stable and are able to interact with society positively. Early occurring delinquents develop antisocial behavior and do not know how to positively interact with society due to their upbringing. The treatment for each group may be different but early prevention is best for both groups of delinquents. So if we want to be able to properly diagnose and treat juvenile delinquents we need to be able to determine which of these categories they fall under and from there we can begin to properly rehabilitate them.

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