Social Identity Theory Relating to Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile Delinquency Theory

Social identity theory

Postmodernist criminology theory

Underlying assumptions

Postmodernism is a relatively unique theory of criminology: rather than simply trying to understand why people commit crimes and explain such behavior, it questions the notion of what constitutes 'crime' altogether. The underlying assumption of postmodernism is that crime is a culturally constructed concept. [One sentence thesis] For example, in the 1950s, being gay was considered criminal -- today being gay is socially accepted behavior. White-collar crime is often considered less serious than violent crime. Postmodernist theories of criminology suggests that this is not because that white-collar crime is less serious, rather it is because the perpetrators are more apt to be socially powerful and wealthy individuals who can define how crime is constructed.

Similarly, postmodernism would suggest that the social construction of the identity of the juvenile delinquent is laden with class and historical assumptions. Once upon a time, a girl who engaged in sexual activity before marriage would be considered delinquent. Today, that is not the case. Conversely, bullying behavior of teens who are gay, members of religious minorities, or simply 'different' from their peers might have been tacitly condoned at one point. Now such behaviors are clearly labeled as delinquent. The labeling of the criminal thus has more to do with the social identity of the 'labeler' of the crime than the so-called delinquent him or herself.

Structure of theory

Postmodern theories of crime derive their origin not from the discipline of criminology itself, but from literary theory and philosophy. "Post-modernism had its roots in poststructuralist French thought in the late 1960s and 1970s. Its starting point is a disillusion with the modernist thought, notably Marxism, but also with liberal theories of progress" (Cowling 2006: 2). Implicit in even many liberal theories of criminal philosophy was the idea that society was progressively getting 'better' and more enlightened. Postmodernism suggests that this idea is tautological, a delusion. Things seem to be getting 'better' merely because we are judging them by our current standards. For example, while it may seem that society is growing more tolerant and diverse because we are seeing more examples of minorities in the popular media, a postmodernist might point to the growing economic discrepancies between the haves and the have-nots, the incarceration rate of young black men, and question how we judge what a valid definition of progress is as a society. The postmodernist's view of the world is characterized by chaos rather than "coherence and unity" and argues against the "notion of crime [which] at first appears to refer to clear and fixed forms of behavior but on closer interrogation slides away into a plethora of different activities and meanings which have nothing in common other than the fact that the criminal justice system treats them as crimes" (Walton & Young 1998). Even the question of who is assumed to be a criminal committing the same crime is socially constructed -- for example a judge may treat an African-American juvenile dealing drugs as a criminal while a white teen may be treated like an 'addict' and remitted to the care of his parents, provided they find him treatment.

Strengths

According to the report Critical Condition: African-American Youth in the Justice System, racial perceptions have a significant impact upon how individuals are treated in the justice system. African-American youth make up 30% of juvenile arrests even while they make up only 17% of the overall juvenile population. They make up 62% of the under-aged persons prosecuted in the adult criminal system "and are nine times more likely than white youth to receive an adult prison sentence... white youth are significantly more likely than African-American youth to use drugs and 30% more likely to sell drugs, but African-American youth are twice as likely to be arrested and detained for drug offenses" (Huston 2008).

Postmodernism is a tool to help us understand why certain persons have been classified as part of a criminal class. Conventional criminology theories may state that African-Americans are more likely to commit crimes because they are members of historically discriminated-against groups, or that poverty and social disenfranchisement creates a fertile breeding-ground for crime. But this does not explain why African-Americans are less likely to use and sell drugs yet are more likely to be incarcerated for these offenses than whites. Postmodernism turns the lens of analysis and attempts to understand why what we call crimes are crimes -- why, for example, was crack considered to be a 'worse' drug than cocaine (because of its greater presence in the inner city). Its notions of the construction of 'the criminal' suggest that rather than concrete divides between criminality and normalcy, these barriers are permeable. This enables us to be more self-critical as a society of our justice system.

Weaknesses

Postmodernism demonstrates how standards of criminality are mutable throughout the ages. However, law enforcement officials must have some standards when enforcing behavior. To merely question or relativize all criminal behavior will not generate a functional, safe society in which all people may flourish.