Social Problems Causing Juvenile Delinquency

Juvenile delinquency is a growing problem worldwide. There are a variety of causes and solutions to this problem in each society. The reasons for the increase in this problem all have to do with industrialization and changing society. The root causes are an increase in preoccupied parents, income inequalities, children’s independence and lack of funding for schools and after school programs. Societies that are being challenged with juvenile delinquency are faced with the need to find a way for their particular society to intervene effectively on the issue.

In the examination of a variety of different approaches to juvenile delinquency, it was concluded that some of them are good and work well, and some do not. Out of the countries that we studied the most, India’s approach to the problem was deemed to be the least effective of the countries that we examined. Their fight against juvenile delinquency, as well as Japan’s, is focused upon police intervention. This is not a good way to deal with the problem of juvenile delinquency, as the police have a bad reputation with the juveniles, and it is not effective at preventing crimes from occurring. Another part of India’s problem in solving juvenile delinquency is their economy. They have other social problems that are more important, such as child labor, which they must solve first. Because they can’t afford to solve their primary social problems, it is near impossible for them to solve their juvenile delinquency issues.

Our cross-cultural analysis and the information from our interviewee agree that the more successful solutions are the ones that focus on prevention. Preventing juvenile delinquency could be achieved in many societies by educating people, restructuring social institutions, and getting children involved in good after school activities. The only way any change can take place is by educating the people of the society. 

Society must know that it is a real and growing problem in order for them to make any effort to change it. They need to know that it’s the society that is causing the problem, not the kids. They also need to know that it would be beneficial to have some government intervention, as more change would be possible if government programs and non-government programs would work together. People should also be educated on some of the specifics of why juvenile delinquency has become a problem. Education could be achieved through media and community meetings. 

The next step in prevention is to restructure who has power and where money gets spent. The ethnic minorities and the lower class, whom are responsible for a large percentage of juvenile delinquency, need to have better representation. This representation needs to push for the things the children of that particular society need. Things that the representatives could push for are more funding for schools, more bilingual teachers and staff, and after school activities. The countries that we studied in our cross-cultural analysis use some of these steps, but need to improve upon some of their methods in carrying them out.

Reducing juvenile delinquency is a challenging process that requires a lot of time and work by a lot of people, but is an obtainable goal. If the necessary steps described in the paragraphs above were taken, juvenile delinquency would be reduced to a small fraction of what it is now. Not all communities have the resources to make the change necessary in stopping juvenile delinquency, but the ones that do should make them, because it will make drastic improvements in many lives.

Bibliography

• Heiner, Robert. "An Introduction to the Sociology of Social Problems." Social Problems: an Introduction to Critical Constructionism. New York: Oxford UP, 2010. 5. Print. 
• "Juvenile Delinquency and Substance Abuse." National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Web. 8 May 2010. 
• "Juvenile Justice: Facts And Figures." American Bar Association - Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice. Web. 8 May 2010. 
• Roberts, Cynthia H. "00.02.05: Juvenile Delinquency: Cause and Effect." Yale University. 2005. Web. 8 May 2010. 
• Shepherd Jr., Robert E. "Criminal Justice Magazine Article." American Bar Association - Defending Liberty, Pursuing Justice. 1996. Web. 8 May 2010. 
• Smith, Carolyn A. "Juvenile Delinquency: An Introduction." The Prevention Researcher. 2008. Web. 8 May 2010. 
• "Youth at the United Nations: World Program of Action for Youth - Juvenile Delinquency." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World. Web. 8 May 2010.
• "Juvenile Delinquency, World Youth Report, JDWYR, 2003." United Nations. United Nations, 2003. Web. 8 May 2010.
• "Numbers Speak." Juvenile Justice National Desk. N.p., 2010. Web. 8 May 2010.
• “Overview of the Effects of Violence in the Media." Young Media Australia. qtd. Pearl, Bourhilet & Lazar 1982. Australian Council on Children and the Media, 27 Jan. 2009. Web. 8 May 2010.
• Rickard, Erika. "Paying Lip Service to the Silenced; Juvenile Justice in India." Harvard Human Rights Journal 21 (2008): 155-66. Web. 10 May 2010.
• White, Richard. "Targeting Youth Gangs at a Grassroots Level." Australian Institute of Criminology 62 (2007): 1+. AIC.GOV.AU. Web. 7 May 2010.
• Ortega, Phil. Interview. May 2010.

AHA Application essays

1. One typed Autobiography
It was about this time that the younger of my brothers graduated high school and moved away to go to college, leaving me the only child at home. When I got to high school I joined the rowing team. Rowing team meet for several hours almost every day of the week, it was very big commitment. I enjoyed it for three racing seasons, it was a good workout and a fun group of people. In my junior year I joined the Iceaxemen Mountaineering Club at my high school. I loved this club and the people in it. The leader and many of the the Iceaxeman were leaders for a local Christian Church. I was active in this Church with this group from my mountaineering club. With this club I did many activities such as rock climbing, mountain climbing and camping. I will always remain close to some of these friends but I rarely find time to rock climb now.
I am a product of the environment that I was raised in. Eugene is a very eco friendly city. The majority of people who live here are into recycling, I learned that in 2nd grade even before I learned where the bathroom was. My family tries to eat sustainable local produce, recycle, compost, garden, decrease our energy usage, use eco friendly products and do things that we know will be good for the environment. I try to bicycle whenever possible and decrease my fossil fuel use. It’s a lifestyle that I plan to maintain for forever.
I have always loved learning about new people from different walks of life. It’s just a yearning that I have had. My experience has been limited to family vacations to Mexico and when I was in 5th grade my Grandmother took our extended family to Peru. We got to hike around Machu Picchu and the Inca ruins, we traveled to Peruvian villages, had a Shaman preform his magic and visited Lake Titicaca where the people still live the same as in 200 AD. It wasn’t until I was much older that I appreciated what a wonderful adventure it was. During my sophomore year I had the opportunity to do an exchange with a family friend in France. I got to spend a month in France with her and her family, then she came back with me for a month. It was a great experience that really opened my mind about the European culture.
After I graduated, I moved to Ashland to attend Southern Oregon University. At first the transition was a little difficult, but I quickly became accustomed to dorm life and made new friends. I am a pre-nursing student, balancing my time with school work and fun. I have been loving college life but I am looking forward to adding some adventure and world knowledge to my college experience in this coming year.


One typed Transitional Experience Essay
I have experienced many transitions in my life as stated like changing schools, and moving from California to Oregon when I was in the second grade. However, I feel that moving away to college was the most significant transition for me. It was the beginning of a whole new life for me. Being totally on my own, responsible for my budget, classes, career choices, making new friends, cleaning, and cooking for myself. Being independent gave me a lot more responsibility than when I was living at home. I lived in the dorm my first year at school and this year I live in an apartment with a friend.
It’s because of this transition that I have become a stronger person. I am still trying to learn how to strengthen the precarious balance between my school, work, and socializing in my life. Moving away to college has made me examine my priorities and decide on my goals. I am striving very hard to achieve them.
I grew up in a medical family with my father being a physician and my mother and three of my aunts being nurses, so it’s not much of a surprise that I have found my passion in Nursing. I find most all things medical related to be very interesting and I don’t get nauseated by the sight of blood. I did a surgical rotation for my senior project in high school and found that when blood came spurting at my face, I wanted to know where it was coming from and thinking about what it takes to stop it. It is for these reasons that I decided I want to be a surgical nurse. Being a nursing student requires a lot of studying and responsibility. I have adjusted to my new life full of responsibility quite well and I am happy where I am now in my life, and excited for the challenges and adventure my future will bring me.
I want going to Ghana to be the next transition in my life. I have always wanted to go to Africa and work and live with the African people. I think that my compassion for people and desire to be a nurse would be a great asset to me for this semester in Ghana. I have few illusions, I know that there will be some difficulties but I am optimistic that they can teach me some good lessons to live my life by.

The Bunnies Revenge

Women of the United States of America tend to have strong feelings about their appearance. It is apparent that in U.S. culture a women's appearance means a lot. Women are constantly being pushed by the media into thinking that they need to look like a model and dress a certain way to be attractive; which is impossible for most women, and even those that do reach the physical ideal are rarely satisfied. Our culture tells us that we need to follow certain norms to be attractive. Most people subject themselves to these ideals.
A couple of weeks ago I attended a party called The Bunnies Revenge, the name referring to the Playboy Bunny. The people who went to this party were supposed to dress up in lingerie. I was surprised by how far people took the theme, some dressing in only in revealing underwear and bras. Is it appropriate to have occasions where it is the norm for people to dress scandalously? I seemed to feel it wasn’t, I felt that it was skanky and wrong, but looking back I am not sure why I felt that way. I had another obligation that night which wasn’t over until after the party had started, so I didn’t have the opportunity to dress up, but I probably wouldn’t have anyways. I’m not sure the reason that I labeled the party as skanky. It could have been because that is really how I felt, or because I felt too insecure with my body to dress up myself so I labeled the people who did to make myself feel better.
Because I didn’t dress up, I felt out of place at the party. One of my friends was disappointed that I hadn’t dressed up and confronted me about it, which made me feel even more out of place. I explained to her that I didn’t have time to get dressed up to the party’s theme. It was apparent that we have different views and morals when it comes to modesty and sexuality. She seemed to feel very comfortable and was enjoying the occasion. I not only would have felt very uncomfortable if I had dressed up, but I even felt uncomfortable being in the presence of those who had.
I believe that the cause for me feeling uncomfortable at the party was due to the fact that I grew up in America, where people are ultimately influenced into feeling insecure about themselves. The media constantly exploits women, by only using tall, skinny, attractive models, and using computer technology to make them even more physically “flawless”. It is because of this that women create idols from the media, and they are bound to be let down, as it is near impossible to achieve a body like most of whom are on television.
The U.S. makes it even more difficult for American women to feel satisfied by making them overweight. We live in a busy, capitalistic society in which people are constantly moving. It is a stressful environment, in which many people take out their stress by eating junk food. If people found new ways to take out their stress, such as working out, it would help fix the problem of insecurity of ones body. There aren’t any advertisements for healthy food or exercise, only the unhealthy and processed foods, and meal portion size is out of control! Big corporations are running our country more than the government itself and, unlike the government, they are only seeking money and don’t make the well being of its citizens a priority. For example, when the dairy industry put out the “Got Milk” advertisements, they influenced the Food Pyramid, and got schools to sell certain dairy products, all in order to get kids hooked on milk for their lifetime. It is because of the dairy industry that people think dairy is healthy, but in truth it is just making the U.S. more unhealthy. So ultimately the media is telling us we need to be skinny and physically perfect, and it’s also getting us fat, and therefore we become unsatisfied and insecure with our bodies because we don’t have the ideal body.
One of my friends who is heavier, attended the party and dressed in lingerie. She told me afterwords that she felt extremely uncomfortable. I believe the reason that she dressed up, knowing that she would feel uncomfortable, was because she felt she had to. She may have found it difficult to decide whether to feel like an outsider because she didn’t dress up, or to dress up and feel uncomfortable with her body.
I don’t think that it’s necessarily a bad thing that people show skin, i just feel that it is inappropriate in that environment. It can be okay for people to show skin in a nonsexual environment, and possibly even good for their self esteem. I feel that it’s even okay for people to show a little sexuality with other people around. The problem comes when the two are combined. I feel that it is only appropriate for people to show skin and be sexual at the same time, when one is in private with their lover.
The Bunnies Revenge was an interesting environment in which most of the women dressed up but none of the men did. I felt that it was not fair that the women felt obligated to dress up but the men did not, as this was clearly a themed party. This is an example of a still existing double standard between men and women. Why are women exposing their bodies but the men aren’t held to the same standard? It’s amazing to me that women tolerate this.
Often the reason that women dress skimpy do so out of low self esteem. Often they are desperate for sexual attention, so they imitate what they see in the media. Many experience that they will get more attention but not the type that they want from dressing in provocative ways. They should be taught that to be treated like a lady, one must dress like a lady. To get respect from men, they must have respect for themselves.
Southern Oregon University’s Erotic Ball is a yearly event that takes place on campus. Students come dressed in very revealing attire to dance, let loose and have fun. At this event both men and women dress provocatively. It is difficult for me to understand why people choose to attend events like this and the Bunnies Revenge party.
I think that our society is changing the way women think. Although there were many skimpily dressed women at this party, many felt the same way that I feel. Hopefully change will occur throughout the nation, ending the exploitation of women in the media and restricting big corporations influence on people. Hopefully the double standards for men versus women will be a thing of the past. Like all change that happens in our culture, it will take time for this to occur. I have met many strong women and think that we have begun to see positive change already in Ashland. These women are not ones that will dress or eat to meet the norms. These are women that take pride in their healthy eating and enjoy their individuality in dressing how they feel comfortable. They will not be snowballed by the media.
Robbins explains in the book Cultural Anthropology: A Problem Based Approach, that “We are not born with an identity, it is something that we learn”(pp.216). In our society people are told that they need to be skinny and to dress in derogatory ways, but also tells them to be lazy and to eat junk food. The majority of women on television and magazines are tall, skinny, blonde and dress a certain way. These people have become the idols for the women of the United States. These messages contradict each other, which causes women to feel insecure about their selves. Here in Ashland, many people are starting to take a stand against these things by attempting to cut media, processed foods, and materialism out of their lives.
I’m still not sure if parties like the Bunnies Revenge and the Erotic Ball are a good thing or a bad thing, all I know is that they make me feel uncomfortable. Perhaps they are a revolt against the media and society. If they are, they will probably die down as the media and big corporations become more regulated. Until that happens, it is important that people do not subject to the messages that the big corporations are sending us. References

Robbins, R. Cultural Anthropology: A Problem Based Approach. Fifth Edition.


McDougall, MD. Marketing Milk and Disease. 2008
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2398866507129480161&hl=en#


Yahoo! Answers. Resolved Question.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100416130212AAQiBkg

Should the United States government give more power to the people, and how could that happen? Most Americans, when asked what aspect of their country they are proud of, would say our “freedom”. In reality, “we have been socialized to equate ‘democracy’ with ‘freedom’ ”, but there are only two political parties in which we have the freedom to choose from (Heiner, 28). United States citizens don’t have as much freedom as most of us would like to think we have, and it would be beneficial if we found a way to obtain that freedom. The country was founded with the idea that the people have the power, and that’s the way it should stay. If society was educated about our government system and more people would vote for candidates whom aren’t from the republican of democratic parties, it would allow for significant change and an increase in the freedom and power of US citizens. It would be a difficult and costly process to educate the American people the important things they need to know in order to have intelligent votes, but it would be worth it. One way that this could happen is by having a non-affiliated organization create a movie and a book containing the important information.



Americans seem to be materialistic, greedy, fat, and self-absorbed in comparison to other societies, why are we this way?. As Heiner says; “Americans prefer to horde their money for themselves and loath to spend it for the common good”(p.48). It could be a side-effect of the “American Dream”. People feel that it is important to reach their personal “American Dream”, which usually involves wealth. It is a part of American culture that if a person works hard they will succeed, and they deserve the profit they obtain from their work and shouldn’t have to share it. It could also be that most people elsewhere in the world don’t have the opportunities that we have to to live this lifestyle. We also are influenced by media and tend to make idols out of rich celebrates. There are many reasons why Americans tend to be materialistic, greedy, fat, and self-absorbed, and only speculations can be made to which ones play an important role.

Has the United States become too arrogant to gain from ethnocentrism? The United States is very competitive in many areas, such as scientific discoveries and wealth. Americans were very proud of the successes in such areas and it seemed to be the motto for a long time throughout the states that “We Are Number One!”. Has the United States success in some areas caused it’s people to think they are better than other countries and don’t need their help? Ethnocentrism is a very important process, by which new insight into social problems can be gained (Heiner, 15). The United States has many problems which the insight of other countries could help solve, such as obesity and poverty. Shouldn’t federal programs be using insight of other countries to take action and solve these problems?


Advertisements have become an overwhelming part of life in modern society. The amount of time that we are watching or hearing an advertisement is very substantial, weather we realize it at the time or not. Because media has many “complex effects, many negative” (Kellner, 1), the advertisement industry is a social problem and needs to be changed. I think it would be a good idea for the government to step in and make many more laws regulating advertisement. Although some would say this would impart on our freedom of speech, I believe that it would be an acceptable price, as it would cut down on several very big social problems in the United States.

Why is prostitution still prevalent across the world in modern society? One would think that prostitution, seeming to be morally wrong and unethical (at least to me) would have dyed out by now, but “Many married men sought prostitutes as a sexual outlet, in part because (1) they have been socialized to believe their sexual appetites were uncontrollable and (2) their wives had been socialized not to enjoy sex.”(Heiner, 84). The physical sensations of having sexual relations with a complete stranger whom you share no emotional connections with, or in the prostitutes case the money, is not worth the loss of dignity and feelings of worthlessness that oneself may experience afterwords. The cause of prostitution goes back to media, the educational systems and parents. People need to be taught to value and respect themselves and others, that they can control themselves, and that sex is something to be enjoyed - with someone you love. These are basic concepts that could easily be integrated into our educational system if people allowed it.


The United States of America is lacking in accommodations for the working parent. Most of the other financially well off countries have many more accommodations than we do, including childcare and payed leave of absence for mothers and fathers. These accommodations are enforced by the government in many country. There are many reason why the United States should pass such laws such as “these work/family measures are provided alongside universal health insurance, which adds crucial economic support for families, and gives workers flexibility when seeking employment that best meets their families’ needs”(Eitzen, 102). Many people in our country would benefit greatly if this system was put in place here. The main reason that it isn’t is because Americans are so against socialism, and putting in such laws place could be seen as a set towards a socialistic society.

It is difficult for me to know on several topics weather or not they are actual social problems. It seems that the term ‘social problem’ is too broad to actually have any meaning or importance. The sociological definition of a social problem is a phenomenon which a significant amount of people believe is bad or undesirable (Heiner, 4). How many people do there need to be to count as a significant number of people? Does this definition work for every society and every social circle?

The United States has “the highest infant mortality rate of the 19 countries in OECD”(Eitzen, 5), is this a bad thing? To most people, it would be extremely heartbreaking to loose a newborn child. After going through the pains of pregnancy while gaining hopes, inspirations, and expectations, of creating a new human being, it would be devastating to loose it all when the infant doesn’t make it. On the other hand, natural selection doesn’t play as much of a role as it did before medical care has become as advanced as it is currently around the world. Perhaps a high infant mortality rate is a positive factor aiding in evolution of human genes, making the general population of the United States more healthy and better fit for the environment than it otherwise would be.