Essay on Juvenile Delinquency, Programs, Gender Policies, and Family

This essay delves into the multifaceted issue of juvenile delinquency, examining its definition as criminal or antisocial behavior committed by individuals under a specific age. It highlights the significance of addressing juvenile crime as a potential gateway to adult criminal activity. The essay analyzes two key programs: the Adolescent Diversion Project, which focuses on community-based services, and the family-centered "Adults in the Making" program, designed to deter substance abuse and risky behaviors. It also addresses gender policies, noting the evolving trends in crime rates between males and females and advocating for unisex juvenile programs that incorporate family intervention to effectively address the issue. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of comprehensive programs that consider both genders to help young offenders become better individuals. The essay uses references from various academic sources.

Running head: JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Juvenile Delinquency
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Juvenile Delinquency
Juvenile Delinquency is the criminal or the antisocial activity that is committed by a child
who is below the age of sixteen years and eighteen years respectively (Bartollas and Schmalleger
2014). When any law is violated by any child, it can be referred to as juvenile delinquency.
Juvenile delinquency is considered to be the gateway of the adult crime because a huge
percentage of the criminals start the criminal career from childhood itself. Child crimes are
serious topic of discussion if the present scenario is considered.
There are various programs that have been adapted by the state in order to take care of
the juvenile delinquency programs.
The Adolescent Diversion Project
This program is based on the strength and it a program that is advocacy oriented. The
program helps in arresting the youth and provides them various services that are based on the
community and the society. This program has been very effective and it has also received
positive ratings (Thompson and Bynum 2016). The program was actively associated with an
effective reduction in the number of official delinquency of the juveniles in comparison to the
juveniles who are formally processed. There was a major drawback that is program faces. It has
not been able to affect the self-reported delinquency of the youth.
Adults in the Making
This program that is completely family-centered. The program has been designed in such
a manner that the family can intervene, which helps in enhancing the protective process of the
family. It also helps in deterring the escalation of using alcohol and the development of the
problems that are substance based. The program has a very positive effect on deterring the

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consumption of alcohol or use of drugs. It has also helped to keep a check on the risky behaviors
of the participants.
The programs make sure that the kids who have not crossed the age of sixteen and
eighteen can be corrected if they are committing any crime (Shoemaker 2017). It has been
observed that most of the criminals have not received any kind of corrections when they were
children, and hence they have grew up to commit crimes that are even graver.
Gender Policies Among Juveniles And Focusing On the Family
The typical criminals cannot be described as females or males. Considering the history, it
has been observed that the males have committed more crimes in comparison to the females.
With time, the rate of the male crimes have started decreasing and on the other hand, the rate of
crimes that are committed by the females have started to increase (Saxena, Messina and Grella
2014). Comparing the present scenario, the crime rates between the females and males have
become almost equal now. The juvenile offenders, irrespective of what age they are, generally
are less educated, have health problems, aggression and experience poverty.
Juvenile programs should be unisex and it should be incorporated within the families as it
is equally important to correct the females along with the males. Correcting only the male
offenders will lead to a rise of the number female offenders.
Conclusion
There is a psychological explanation that states that there are certain differences between
the female and the male offenders. Socialization perspectives state that the crime rates are low in
females because of the way they are perceived by the society. No matter what, juvenile

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delinquency programs should be for both the male and the female genders, as it is necessary to
correct them and help them grow into better individuals.

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Reference list
Bartollas, C.L. and Schmalleger, F.J., 2014. Juvenile delinquency. Prentice Hall.
Saxena, P., Messina, N.P. and Grella, C.E., 2014. Who benefits from gender-responsive
treatment? Accounting for abuse history on longitudinal outcomes for women in
prison. Criminal justice and behavior, 41(4), pp.417-432.
Shoemaker, D.J., 2017. Juvenile delinquency. Rowman& Littlefield.
Thompson, W.E. and Bynum, J.E., 2016. Juvenile delinquency: A sociological approach.
Rowman& Littlefield.