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Juvenile Crime Theory And Empirical Study

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For as long a crime existed there has been debate on what causes crime. Because crime is such a complex phenomenon; many criminologists has been tasked to find the causes of the crimes that has plagued society for so long (Lilly, Cullen & Ball, 2011). Lurigio (2013) explains that criminology studies the element of criminality, the causes and how to suppress and prevent it. There are several different schools of thought in criminology which includes classical, positivist and Chicago (Lurigio, 2013). This paper focuses on the root cause of juvenile crimes by using several different theories and one empirical study.
Empirical Study
Rattional Choice and Developmental influences on recidivism Among Adolescent Felony Offenders Over the years, …show more content…

Many have associated juvenile violence with the factors of race, deprived neighborhood, family structure, strong and weak ties etc. Theorist have also associated juveniles with delinquent peers. Hoffman (2011) states that theories are generally designed to describe or clarify an event or phenomenon. Before we go any further, some may ask what makes a good theory? A good theory has the following characteristics: coherence, verifiability, simplicity, significance, scope, and utility (Mithaug, 2000; Hoffman, 2011). In this section, several theories will be explained along the limitations of each …show more content…

Lombroso claims that criminal behavior is not free will, but instead criminal behavior is biologically determined (Lilly, Cullen & Ball, 2011). To distinguish criminals Lombroso determined that there are physical characteristics and abnormalities (Lilly, Cullen & Ball, 2011; Hoffman, 2011). To formulate this theory Lombroso observed approximately 1,000 soldiers, mentally ill patients and prisoners; this observation inspired his theory of atavism (Hoffman, 2011). Similarly, atavism characteristics include oversized and small skulls, thick cranial bones, cleft palates, receding chins etc. when Lombroso first identified atavism it was associated with the bulk of criminals, but it was later revised to associate with juveniles (Hoffman, 2011). In the views of Lombroso, Hoffman (2011) states that juveniles inherited criminal behavior; they tend to be cruel, angry and

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