Causes of Juvenile Delinquency: A Global Overview

Introduction: Juvenile Delinquency as a Global Problem

The problem of juvenile delinquency is becoming more complicated and universal, and crime prevention programs are either unequipped to deal with present realities or do not exist. Many developing countries have done little or nothing to address these problems, and international programs are clearly insufficient. Developed countries are engaged in activities aimed at juvenile crime prevention, but the overall effect of these programs is rather weak because the mechanisms in place are often inadequate to address the existing situation. On the whole, current efforts to fight juvenile delinquency are characterized by a lack of systematic action and the absence of task-oriented, effective social work with both offenders and victims, whether real or potential. Analysis is further complicated by a lack of international comparative data (WYR, 2003).

This paper is an investigation of the causes of juvenile delinquency. While it is a distinct issue in itself, juvenile delinquency is also a symptom or result of greater problems present within a society.

We live in a world where human beings of any age commit and are punished for crimes ranging from minor to heinous. In other words, humans at every stage of life are committing and being punished for crimes, including children and teenagers, who are classified as juveniles under the law until they reach adulthood. Juvenile crime is not new. In most, if not all, countries, there is a separate criminal justice system specifically designed for juvenile offenders — the juvenile justice system. Most juveniles found guilty of crimes are processed through this system. Many readers may be aware that the legal system treats juveniles very differently from adults. The same offenses committed by both juveniles and adults can carry notably different penalties and sentences.

Juvenile delinquency refers specifically to the criminal activity of youth, including committing crimes and participating in other forms of illegal activity. Across the world, existing legal systems prescribe different sets of punishments and penalties for juvenile delinquency compared to adult criminal conduct (Loeber, 1990). This is a pervasive issue that nearly every country in the world confronts.

Juvenile delinquency is not only a national issue but also a global phenomenon. It refers to a wide variety of disapproved behaviors among teenagers and adolescents that society does not sanction, and for which some form of punishment or corrective measure is considered justified in the public interest. Certain acts — including begging, truancy, vagrancy, stealing, hijacking, kidnapping, drinking, and gambling — fall within the meaning of juvenile delinquency (Paranjape, 1998, p. 356). At present, juvenile delinquency is one of the most important social problems in the world, one that varies from country to country (Chowdry et al., 2012, pp. 1–2).

Defining Juvenile Delinquency and the Justice System

While the forms of juvenile delinquency vary in expression, its presence around the world persists. In many countries, the age at which individuals are no longer classified as juveniles and may be tried as adults falls in the latter part of adolescence or early adulthood. There is more than one type of juvenile delinquency; it is classified as a status offense, criminal behavior, or delinquency, and each type is addressed at specific levels of court. Juvenile offenders are typically either repeat offenders or age-specific offenders. Repeat offenders are more likely to become long-term criminals, while age-specific offenders participate in criminal activity as an expression of the particular stage of human development they occupy — namely, adolescence. Risk factors in juvenile delinquency include socioeconomic class, style of parenting, and gender (Loeber, 1990).

There are those who contend that antisocial behavior is both a cause of and an expression of juvenile delinquency. Antisocial behavior is behavior that causes physical, psychological, or other kinds of harm to a society, whether intentionally or through negligence. Such behavior is not often isolated; it recurs with ease for the offender the more frequently it manifests. Extended demonstration of antisocial behavior can lead to a diagnosis of Antisocial Personality Disorder, a condition with several distinct characteristics. These include a propensity for deception — antisocial individuals are often skilled and frequent liars who deceive others as a means of deriving pleasure — as well as a reckless disregard for the safety and well-being of other people. Antisocial individuals lack remorse and compassion (Loeber, 1990). Therefore, antisocial behavior can contribute meaningfully to juvenile delinquency.

Juvenile delinquency may be an expression of antisocial behavior, but the two terms do not mean the same thing. Externalizing problem behaviors are those that, if scaled up in magnitude or gravity, would be classified as antisocial behaviors. Antisocial behavior and externalizing problem behavior are therefore closely related, yet a distinction remains. Just as conduct disorder is a kind of adolescent version of antisocial personality disorder, externalizing problem behaviors are the precursors or less severe forms of antisocial behaviors. Children who demonstrate such behaviors are statistically more likely to become delinquents, criminals, and violent individuals. The existence of some antisocial behavior is actually normal during the adolescent period.

Antisocial behaviour may be a normal part of growing up or the beginning of a long-term pattern of criminal activity. The United Nations Guidelines for the Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency (the Riyadh Guidelines) assert that "youthful behaviour or conduct that does not conform to overall social norms and values is often part of the maturation and growth process and tends to disappear spontaneously in most individuals with the transition to adulthood"; a great majority of young people commit some kind of petty offense at some point during their adolescence without this turning into a long-term criminal career. While delinquency is a common characteristic of the period of becoming an adult, it is important to note that juveniles often form stable criminal groups with a corresponding subculture and begin to engage in the activities of adult criminal groups, in effect choosing delinquent careers (WYR, 2003, p. 191).

Antisocial Behavior and Its Role in Delinquency

Therefore, the mere existence of antisocial behavior in an adolescent does not guarantee that the teenager will become or already is a juvenile delinquent; such behavior could simply signal a person's transition out of childhood and into adolescence. Parents and educators should not be immediately alarmed if adolescents demonstrate some form of antisocial behavior. As noted above, it is the persistence and increasing intensity or frequency of antisocial behaviors that signals a teen may be developing into a full-fledged juvenile delinquent, who is likely to continue and eventually transition into a career criminal. The stakeholders in juvenile delinquency range broadly — from the individual to society as a whole.

Juvenile delinquency is a challenging issue to analyze. On the one hand, there is concrete evidence pointing to causes of juvenile delinquency; on the other hand, it is difficult to pinpoint one or even a set of specific, uniform causes. Many criminologists hold opposing arguments regarding causation. Some argue for direct, one-to-one correlations and discrete cause-and-effect relationships. Others contend that causes are difficult to identify consistently because juvenile delinquency is highly situational and occurs within contexts that share some similarity but lack uniformity, with corroborating data remaining elusive.

There is no single root cause of crime. Crime is primarily the outcome of multiple adverse social, economic, cultural, and family conditions. To prevent crime, it is important to understand its roots. Causes of crime differ from country to country because of different cultural, economic, and social characteristics. The causes of crime are primarily related to economic situation, social environment, and family structures (Ali, 2008, p. 2).

There is some consensus that juvenile delinquency occurs less frequently in homes that are stable, loving, and reasonably functional. Where there is adequate support, sufficient resources, and a social context with minimal tension, juvenile delinquency is far less common. Even so, there remains a lack of comparative data to support theories and identify useful patterns across contexts.

The causes and conditions for juvenile delinquency are present in every society where juvenile delinquency exists. While each individual has the power to make their own choices, environmental factors weigh heavily on a person's perceptions, perspectives, and behaviors. Therefore, whatever the causes of juvenile delinquency, part of any strategy to address it must include changes to society at the level of infrastructure and social context, as well as changes that individuals make in their own choices.