Youth Crime and Implicit Theories

This assignment delves into the escalating issue of youth crime in Australia, specifically examining Queensland's 'Naming and Shaming' legislation aimed at deterring juvenile delinquency. The report analyzes various sociological and criminological theories relevant to understanding youth crime behavior. Public opinion on this topic is also explored through a critical analysis of comments from Courier Mail articles and Facebook posts, highlighting the role of implicit personality theories in shaping public perceptions.

Youth Justice

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
Literature review..............................................................................................................................1
Implicit Theories..............................................................................................................................2
Public opinions in Naming and Shaming documents......................................................................2
Evaluation of analysis with academic literature..............................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
Youth justice is the compromise organs and processes that deals with offending young
people aged 14-18 years. With this context, this research paper will cover the aspects increasing
youth offending and crime in Australia. Various implicit theories will be evaluated on the basis
of public comments and opinions with insight of multiple academic articles. The impacts of
implicit theories in accord with the literature on public opinions about increase in youth
offending will be discussed in this research.
Literature review
As per Bartollas and Schmalleger, (2014) states that many implicit theories reflects upon
the youth crime or offensiveness. These theories provide benchmarks to identify the rationale for
increasing crime rates among youth in Australia. Strain theory developed by Robert K. Merton in
which he focused on the social pressure that obliged young or adult people to commit crime or
conduct criminal activity. According to Thompson and Morris., (2016) neoclassical theory of
criminology denotes that the degree of punishment is directly proportional to the decrease in
criminal rates among youths and adults. It implies that level of punishment for particular crimes
will embark the feeling of fear and anxiety in young people. Eventually they will commit or
participate in less criminal activity. Paternoster, Jaynes and Wilson, (2017) contend that social
learning theory determines the individual behaviour which they acquired from observing other
people of society. It means that the growth and development of individual behaviour is partly
depends on the society or community he/she resides in. If an individual surrounded with
depressing, violent and antisocial environment, then there are chances that he/she will become
criminal or commits crime frequently. Laub and Sampson, (2017) state that Anomie theory
developed by Merton in 1940 comprehend that juvenile commits crime, if they do not have
means to make themselves happy. It determines the Juvenile Delinquency theory in which
juveniles that do not meet social standards seek validation from a subculture.
These theories help to understand the behaviour of individuals especially youths. The
crime rate among youth is increasing day by day in the country. Methods and techniques needs
to be developed in order to tackle the rapid growth of youth crime in Australia. In accordance
with this context it can be stated that increase in youth crime is not good for the country current
condition. With the help of theories and public opinions, new methods must be implemented by
the government in order to reduce the youth crime rates in the country. Moreover, many authors
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in their articles and books stated that implicit theories for youth justice can help the government
to transform their laws and legislation in effective and efficient ways (Hall and Winlow, 2015).
The naming and shaming law introduced by the Queensland Law Society will apply to juvenile
offenders who are currently protected by the legal system.
Implicit Theories
Implicit theories describes the individuals specific patterns which are dynamic in nature
and are based on limited amount of information about any unfamiliar situations. It states the
personal characteristics and attributes of a person (Implicit Personality Theory, 2017). The
characteristics and traits are varied from person to person and changes according to the
situations, The implicit theory consists of various principles that helps to examine the traits and
attribute of a person. For example, some people have good sense of humour, while some people
are always depressed and gloomy. The implicit theory was proposed by Lee Cronbach in 1950 in
which he stated that individual attributes and ability are aligned to specific qualities into a few
major dimension of personality. It means that attributes and attitude of individuals are dynamic
in nature and changes according to the situations and conditions they are dealing with. The
cognitive distortions are a series of offence supportive beliefs which emerge from underlying
causal theories which he termed ‘implicit theories’.
Implicit theories emerged from an individual's early developmental experience.
Neglected or abused child tend to develop more violent and insolent. Further, he can commit
crime and other criminal activity fearlessly. Cognitive strains in an individual is more likely to
show the use of implicit theories in determining his/her behaviour. Thus, these implicit theories
provide a benchmark on which one can determine the nature and behaviour of an individual.
Further, with cognitive development and social learning theory any individual can transform his
or her behaviour effectively and efficiently (DeVellis, 2016). As per authors and public opinions,
with the use of implicit theories to influence the psychological state of young people will help to
eliminate the youth crime in Australia. “Naming and Shaming” legislation of Queensland Law
Department (QLD) targets the mental state of youth and juvenile who were apprehended for
conducting criminal activity.
Public opinions in Naming and Shaming documents
The public opinions are the comments and arguments made by the general citizen of
Australia regarding the new law proposed by the Queensland Law Department. It was termed as
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Naming and Shaming legislation. According to this legislation, the young offenders name and
criminal history will be publicise whenever they caught and apprehended for any criminal act.
This section contains brief analysis of opinions and comments of people on Naming and
Shamming policy. The aim of the analysis is to identify the implicit theories used by the general
people or citizens of Australia. From the analysis it was identified that majority of people
commented on Courier Mail article were found to be in favour of Naming and Shaming Policy.
They believed that this law can minimise the rising rate of youth crime in the country. One of the
comment indicates about its benefits towards development of new society in Australia. Some
people believe that legislation must expand its provision and also includes the names of convict
juvenile parents. One person comments that, “as per the current situations it is right time to
initiate the law and take control on youth offenders.” Another comment states that “today
generations really need to face the tough consequences, as they have no respect and they do
whatever they and get away with it.”
Though, from further analysis it was identified that some of the comments indicates that
many people are against the law or not satisfied with the legislation. One person comment about
the legal loop hole exists in the law. He says that “ Juvenile convicts will get bail easily because
of paedophile policies.” Some people contends that the law attacks civil rights of the juvenile
delinquents. After analysing public opinion and comments posted on Facebook, it was identified
that majority of people were found to be against of Naming and Shaming law implemented by
government of Labour National Party (LNP). They believe that this law will change nothing,
moreover make young offender's hero's in their crime gang. After analysing and addressing all
the comments, it can be concluded that people applies cognitive development, social
psychological and neoclassical theories. Some people comments state that parents must be
accountable for child growth and behaviour. Another comment state that education and
employment policy of country must be improved to reduced the crime rate in young people.
Majority of people comment about the increase in level of punishment given to young people
caught in criminal activity. From this it can be implied that the various implicit theories applied
by people including classical, neoclassical, X and Y theory, Juvenile Delinquency theory, etc.
Each and every individual wants to reduce the crime rate of young people in Australia, and every
opinion indicates different ways and methods government can initiate in order to minimise the
growth rate of youth crime in Australia.
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Evaluation of analysis with academic literature
Authors and theorists have developed various theories that precisely studies the human
and juvenile behaviours. As per the analysis of public opinions and comments regarding Naming
and Shaming legislation on Courier Mail article and Facebook posts, it was identified that
citizens of Australia implements framed various theories in form of opinion. People comment
about juvenile delinquency and its impact on society (Lee and McCrary, 2017). As per the
Juvenile Delinquency theory of Robert Merton state that juvenile or young adult commits
criminal activities only if they do not find any means of happiness in their life. It implies that
young people indulge in criminal activities, if they are abused and neglected frequently either by
parents or society. Some people comments about the magistrates and judicial flaws, because of
which criminals gets bail easily. Classical school (criminology) theory refers here, as it proposed
that the system laws and its mechanism for enforcement of punishment must be appropriate in
order develop sense of civilisation in juveniles.
One of the individual comment to improve the education and employment policy of
country to minimise the young children and adults crime rate in Australia. It depends upon the
choice of individual whether they want to educate or not. X and Y theory implemented here,
which states that there are two type of people who live in the society. X type includes lazy,
insolent and aggressive kind of individuals and Y type consist of proactive, serene and self
learner kind of people (Schneider, 2014). People comment about the low social economic
backgrounds in which the juvenile delinquents lives in. They focus on social development
theory as people believe that name and shame convicts will not affect the juvenile delinquents
much. Transformation in their surrounding and environment will help in change in juveniles
behaviours and attitude towards society. Further, some comments indicates that naming and
shaming juvenile delinquents alone won't impact much. They want to name and shame their
parents too. With this cognitive development theory and subculture theory can be useful. In
cognitive development there are various factors such as environment, stimuli and family which
affects the behaviours of young children and adults. This implies that, parents must be
accountable for insolent and delinquent behaviour. From the above evaluation it can be implies
that, every comment and opinion of individual apply implicit theories either directly or indirectly
(Furlong, 2016). Further it can be understood that the implicit theories of personality
development studies the individual behaviour effectively and efficiently.
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Conclusion
From the above research, it can be concluded that youth crime has been rapidly
increasing in Australia. In order to prevent it the Queensland Law Department enforce Naming
and Shaming legislation to publicise the name and criminal history of juvenile delinquent.
Various theories were covered in the report that study the juvenile delinquency effectively and
efficiently. Multiple opinions and comments of people on Courier Mail article and Facebook post
was analysed effectively in this report. The role and use of implicit theories derived by various
author has been effectively evaluated in this report on the basis of public comments.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bartollas, C.L. and Schmalleger, F.J., 2014. Juvenile delinquency. Prentice Hall.
DeVellis, R.F., 2016. Scale development: Theory and applications(Vol. 26). Sage publications.
Furlong, A. ed., 2016. Routledge Handbook of Youth and Young Adulthood. Taylor & Francis.
Hall, S. and Winlow, S., 2015. Revitalizing Criminological Theory:: Towards a New Ultra-
Realism. Routledge.
Laub, J.H. and Sampson, R.J., 2017. Sheldon and Eleanor Glueck’s Unraveling Juvenile
Delinquency Study: The lives of 1,000 Boston men in the twentieth century. The Origins of
American Criminology: Advances in Criminological Theory. pp.162.
Lee, D.S. and McCrary, J., 2017. The deterrence effect of prison: Dynamic theory and evidence.
In Regression Discontinuity Designs: Theory and Applications (pp. 73-146). Emerald
Publishing Limited.
Paternoster, R., Jaynes, C.M. and Wilson, T., 2017. Rational Choice Theory and Interest in the
“Fortune of Others”. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency,
p.0022427817707240.
Schneider, S., 2014. Crime prevention: Theory and practice. CRC Press.
Taylor, I., Walton, P. and Young, J., 2013. The new criminology: For a social theory of
deviance. Routledge.
Thompson, K.C. and Morris, R.J., 2016. Theories of Juvenile Delinquency. In Juvenile
Delinquency and Disability (pp. 41-53). Springer International Publishing.
Online
Implicit Personality Theory, 2017. [Online]. Available through:
<https://psychology.iresearchnet.com/social-psychology/social-psychology-theories/
implicit-personality-theory/>. [Accessed On 4th October 2017].
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