INNOVATIVE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE &

TECHNOLOGY Malitbog,
Bongabong, Oriental Mindoro

CRIMINOLOGY DEPARTMENT
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
CRISMARK NALING MARIANO

I. OBJECTIVE:

At the end of this section, the student should be able to:

• Explain how socialization contributes to the development of juvenile delinquency

• Cite different social groups that shape the behavior and personality of juveniles

• Analyze how family, peers, environment, school, mass media, and other social groups can contribute to the
delinquency problem

II. TIME FRAME:

WEEK 5 – February 5-11, 2021

III. TOPIC:
FACTORS AFFECTING THE DEVELOPMENT OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
Family, Peers, Environment, School, and Mass Media

The problem of juvenile delinquency is attributed to factors such as family, peers, environment, school, and
mass media that affect the socialization of children. Socialization is the process through which children learn
the ways of a particular society or social group so that they can function within it.

FAMILY

The family is the first and most important social unit to affect children; it is the first social world the
child encounters. Individuals learn the attitudes, behaviors and social roles considered appropriate for them
from already socialized individuals, typically parents and other family members. Through the socialization
process in families, the personalities, characters, values, and beliefs of children are initially shaped. Families
help in the development of stable and emotionally secure individuals and enhance the cognitive and language
development of children by providing a variety of intellectually rich and stimulating experiences. Parents and
older family members also serve as role models, transmitting educational values and providing environment in
which children can safely develop a sense of independence.

Families, however, are not isolated group. Rather, they exist within a larger social and cultural context
and reflect the family's particular class, ethnic, religious, political, and regional characteristics. This means that
a child's socialization is somewhat selective, depending on the background of his or her family.

At a theoretical level, families are the primary source for teaching children self-control, a major point of
delinquency. It has been observed that adolescents who have low self-control are more attracted to delinquency
behaviors than youth with greater self-control. The primary cause of low self-control appears to be ineffective
child rearing

One of the most critical aspects of socialization is the development of moral values in children. Moral
education, or the training of the individual to be inclined toward the good, involves a number of things,
including the rules on the do's and don'ts and the development of good habits. Youths who have developed
higher levels of social moral reasoning, such as behaving according to moral motives and internalizing values
that would lead youth to act in ways that would benefit others and society, are less likely to engage in
aggressive behaviors and delinquency. Although the church and the school complement the family in both
teaching and setting examples of moral behavior, it is in the family where the development of moral virtue or
good character is effectively formed or left unformed.

Families traditionally have been the primary providers of the material well-being of their members. The
family clothes, feeds and provides shelter. Parents or older siblings provide supervision and monitoring of
children to ensure the latter's safety and obedience. Younger addition, the family provide for the physical
security of its members and performs home functions to protect it members from potential thieves, vandals and
burglars, Finally, the family provides emotional security to its members through giving encouragement, support
and unconditional love.

Many families, however, fail miserably at achieving one or more of these goals. Unfortunately, some
families transmit values that promote violence or criminality and destroy the development of positive self-
concept among its members. They fail to inculcate moral values or virtues among children. Many families too,
fail to provide adequate material, physical and emotional security to their children when parents separate or fail
to marry, and engage in rule violating behaviors, thereby ignoring the primary needs of children.

Family Conditions that influence the Development of Juvenile Delinquency

1. separation of parents/broken home

2. family desertion
3. both working parents
4. parental rejection
5. single-parent household
6. in-law problems
7. lack of parental guidance
8. family displacement
9. low income of parents
10. teenage pregnancy
11. latchkey children

Family Structure

Both the family size and birth position had been found to have predictive effects on delinquency.

1. Family size

Parents of larger families tend to give lean parental attention to their children. Children of large families
are having a greater chance to become delinquent, and this is a predictive factor. It was found that delinquency
is associated with the number of brothers in the family, but not with the number of sisters. Members of large
families had been found to be lacking in educational success. They perform poorly in school and score low in
IQ test.

2. Child's Birth Order in the Family Birth order affects the delinquent behavior with delinquency more likely
among middle children than first or last children.

The first child receives individual attention and affection of parents, while the last child benefits from
the parents' experience of raising children, as well as from presence of siblings who serve as models. In some
cases, the delinquent child is the first or last child.

Relations Between Parents and Children

The strongest predictive factor for delinquency is having criminal parents. While a very small part of
this effect may be accounted for by genetic factors, most of it must be related to the relationship of parents
toward their children. It may be that parents provide a model of behavior for the children to copy or a model of
aggressive and antisocial behavior which in turn leads to delinquency.

1. Family Rejection Studies found significant relationship between parental rejection and delinquent behavior.

Some children are rejected by their parents. As a result, they are deprived of one or both of their parents
through abandonment, hospitalization, divorce, death, or intervention of public agencies.

According to John Bowlby, a British psychologist, even a short absence on the part of the mother could
have deleterious effects on the psychic well-being of the child. A child who is deprived of his mother goes
through three phases:

a. Protest - cries and screams for mother, panic, clings when she visits, and howls when show she leaves.

b. Despair - after a few days, child becomes withdrawn, sucks thumb.

c. Detachment - loses interest in parents and is not concerned whether they are there or not.

2. Discipline in the Home

Inadequate supervision and discipline in the home have been commonly cited to explain delinquent
behavior.

Where discipline is erratic or harsh, children tend to become delinquent in adolescence. Such parents
differ from normal parents in punishing harshly, and in giving many commands. Certain children are difficult to
discipline; shouting and incessant commands are a parental reaction to the child's constant misbehavior.

The fact that parents of normal children can make their children behave worse simply by giving more
commands is an indicator that discipline is a shaping factor.

Three types of home that breeds three types of behavior:

a. A loving, friendly and just home that breeds Conforming Behavior

b. A loving, liberal and open-minded home that breeds Critical Behavior

c. A loveless, lonely and problematic home life that breeds Deviant Behavior

Family Model

1. The Corporate Model - The father is the chief executive officer. The mother is the operating officer. and
implements the father's policy and manages the staff (children) that in tum have privileges and responsibilities
based on their seniority. The father makes the most; he is the final word in the corporate family. Intimacy runs
to the profit motive.

2. The Team Model - The father is the head; the mother is the chief of the training table and cheerleader. The
children, suffering frequent performance anxiety. play the rules and stay in shape with conformity calisthenics.
In the team family, competition is in the name of the game; winning is everything.

3. The Military Model - The father is the general. The mother is the guard duty with a special assignment to the
nurse corps when needed. The kids are the grunts. Unruly children are sent to stockade, insubordinate wives risk
discharge. Punishment is swift, and sadism is called character building.

4. The Boarding School Model - The father is the rector or head master, and is in charge of training school
minds and bodies. The mother is the dorm counselor who oversees the realm emotion, illness, good works, and
bedwetting. The children are dutiful students. The parents have nothing left to learn; there's but teach and test.

5. The Theatrical Model - The father is the producer and plays the role of the father. The mother, the manager,
doubles in the part of mother. children, the stagehands, also act the roles of girls and boys. No writer is
necessary because the lines are scripted, the roles are sex stereotypes, the plot predictable.

Quality of Home

Poor family home life, measured by marital adjustment and harmony within the home, also affects the
rate of delinquent behavior among children more than whether or not the family is intact.

Happiness of marriage, good marital relationships and strong family cohesiveness in homes are the key
whether or not the children become delinquent.

1. Broken Home

This does not refer to the separation of parents leaving their children behind, but includes the presence
of parents who are irresponsible that children experience constant quarrel in the home Broken homes are
associated with an increase risk in deviant behavior.

Effects of Family Breakdown to the Children:

a. Being brought up by one parent instead of two decreases the amount of surveillance, which protects against
delinquency.
 b. Divorce plunges the family into poverty, which is associated with deviance and forces the family to find
accommodation in a high delinquency area.

c. People who divorce are less stable character than normal, and pass their instability unto their children.

2. Single Parent Family

Majority of single parent families are the products of divorce. Part of the effect is simply that of the
strained relationships between the parents prior to family breakdown.

Effects of Single-Parent Family:

a. Single parents are much more likely to be living in poverty, or living in a high-delinquency area than are
married persons.

b. Single-parents may find it more difficult to control their children during late childhood and adolescence.

c. The fathers of the children of single-mothers may have criminal behavior or alcoholism which may have
influenced their children prior to family break-down.

Parenting Styles

Another perceived delinquency factor is parenting style. Parents could manifest one of the following
parenting styles:

1. Authoritative parents - They are warm but firm. They set standards for the child's conduct but form
expectations consistent with the child's developing needs and capabilities. They give high regard on the
independent development of the child and self-direction but assume the ultimate responsibility for their child's
behavior. Authoritative parents deal with their child in a rational, issue-oriented manner, engage in discussion
and explanation with their children over rules and discipline.

2. Authoritarian parents - They place a high value on obedience and conformity tending to favor more punitive,
absolute and forceful disciplinary measures. These parents are not responsive to their children and show little
warmth and support. Open and constructive discussion is not common in an authoritarian household because
authoritarian parents believe that the child should accept without question the rules and standards established by
the parents. Parents tend to discourage independent behaviors of children; instead, they place importance on
restricting the child's dependence.

3. Indulgent parents - They behave in responsive, accepting, benign or kind, and more passive ways in matters
of discipline. They place relatively few demands on the child's behavior, giving the child a high degree of
freedom to act as he or she wishes. Indulgent parents are more likely to believe that control is an infringement
or violation on the child's freedom that may interfere with healthy development. Instead of actively shaping
their child's behavior, these parents consider themselves as resources the child may or may not use.

4. Indifferent parents - They are fairly unresponsive to their child and try to minimize the time and energy they
must devote to interacting with the child or responding to the child's demands. In extreme cases, indifferent
parents may be neglectful. They know little about their child's activities and whereabouts, show little interest in
their child's experiences at school or in his or her friends, and rarely consider the child's opinion when making
decisions.

Parenting skills

The following are ways of developing parenting skills:

1. Notice what the child is doing.

2. Monitor it over a long period of time.
3. Model social skill behavior.
4. Clearly state house rules/policies.
5. Consistently provide same punishments transgressions and disobedience.
6. Provide reinforcement for conformity.
7. Negotiate disagreements so that conflicts and crisis do not escalate.

Two General Views Concerning Family and Delinquency

1. The Alarmist View - this is the belief that the family is a very serious condition; it is in critical condition and
is getting progressively worse. Alarmists believe in the myth of declining family.
Five Trends Indicating that the Family is Declining:

a. Marriage is something that fewer and fewer people want.

b. Being a homemaker (housewife) is something that fewer and fewer women want.

c. Fewer and fewer people want a large number of children.

d. Sacrifice and self-denial are things that fewer and fewer people are willing to practice.

e. Hedonism and self-fulfillment are things that more and more реople are pursuing. Hedonism is a cultural
norm which pursues or seeks only pleasure and gratification.

Arguments/Philosophy of Alarmists:

a. The trends on family mean that the family is weakening

b. The family is the one institution that holds the society together.

c. If the family loses its influence, children with not get the guidance they need.

d. Children will eventually unsocialized and disruptive.

Proposal of Alarmists:

a. The family should revert to the traditional form.

b. Parents should provide role models, authority and supervision if the preceding conditions are no satisfied,
children might turn to:

1) Drugs

2) Sexual experimentation 3) Serious delinquency

2. Reassuring View - this view contradicts the belief of the declining family

Arguments:

a Today's family is alive and well, vital, and still the primary in raising the nation's young.

b. Declining family condition is just a natural consequence when the society is undergoing
modernization.

c. The family condition would eventually improve as soon as the society's economy will stabilize.

Child Abuse

"Child abuse can be defined as causing or permitting any harmful or offensive contact on a child's body,
and, any communication or transaction of any kind which humiliates, shames, or frightens the child. Some child
development experts go a bit further, and define child abuse as any act or omission, which fails to nurture or in
the upbringing of the children.

Types of Child Abuse

1. Physical Child Abuse - is an act of deliberately inflicting physical injuries on a child. This may include
burning, hitting, punching, shaking, kicking, beating, or otherwise harming a child. The parent or caretaker may
not have intended to hurt the child; the injury is not an accident. It may, however, have been the result of over
discipline or physical punishment that inappropriate to the child's age is

2. Emotional Maltreatment/ Psychological Child Abuse - is when an adult demeans the child's worth or dignity
as a human being by constant scolding and ridiculing. This could lead to a child with very low self-esteem and
many hang ups and psychological problems.

3. Child Neglect - is the failure to provide for the child's basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or
emotional. Physical neglect can include not providing adequate food or clothing, appropriate medical care,
supervision, or proper weather protection. It may include abandonment. Educational neglect includes failure to
provide appropriate schooling or special educational needs, allowing excessive truancies. Psychological neglect
includes the lack of any emotional support and love, never attending to the child, spousal abuse, drug and
alcohol abuse, including allowing the child to participate in drug and alcohol use.

4. Sexual Child Abuse - is any act of maliciously molesting the child sexually whether the sexual act is
consummated or not. It includes fondling a child's genitals, making the child fondle the adult's genitals,
intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy, exhibitionism, and sexual exploitation. To be considered child abuse these
acta have to be committed by a person responsible for the care of a child (for example a baby-sitter, a parent, or
a daycare provider) or related to the child. If a stranger commits these acts, it would be considered sexual
assault and handled solely by the police and criminal courts. Sexual abuse could lead to trauma, fear, and
psychological problems on the part of the child.

Typology of Child Abusers

1. Mentally disordered abuser - a person who has defective mental ability.

2. Parentally incompetent abuser - an individual whose practice of disciplining the child is in the same way he
was disciplined.

3. Situational abuser- a parent who only abuses the child when he/she is confronted with a particular situation,
one who is usually non abusive but "fly off the handle” when some circumstance develops.

4. Accidental abuser- a parent who exercises poor judgment in his/her parenting decisions; poor judgment
results to child abuse.

5. Subcultural abuser - a group of people who share a number of values, norms and attitudes in common

6. Self-identified abuser - parents who are abusive; although some of these kinds of abusers want to stop
abusing their children, they cannot and they are afraid to make their discipline practices known.

7 Institutionally prescribed abusers -some institutions are grounded with beliefs that are abusive to children.

Child abuse may occur in:

a Homes
b. Schools, public or private
c. Day care centers
d. Preschools
c. Detention centers
f. Correctional facilities

Mental health and delinquency experts have found that abused kids experience mental and social
problems across their life span, ranging from substance abuse to possession of a damaged personality. For
example, victims of abuse are prone to suffer mental illness such as dissociative identity disorder (DID)
formerly known as multiple personality disorder (MPD): research shows that child abuse is present in the
histories of the vast majority of DID subjects.

One particular area of concern is the child's own personal involvement with violence. Psychologists
suggest that maltreatment encourages children to use aggression as a means of solving problems and prevents
them from feeling empathy for others. It diminishes their ability to cope with stress and makes them vulnerable
to the violence in the culture. Abused children who have fewer positive interactions with peers, are less well
liked, and are more likely to have disturbed social interactions.

It is to be noted though that not all abused children become delinquent. Many do not, and many
delinquent youths come from what appear to be model homes. Research shows that abused adolescents seem to
get involved in more status offenses than delinquent acts - perhaps indicating that abused children are more
likely to "flee than to fight."

I. OBJECTIVE:

II. TIME FRAME:

Week 6- February 12- 18, 2021

III. TOPICS:

PEERS
 For many juveniles the most important social institution, the one they truly spend the most time with and
are closest to emotionally, is the family. But for many ethers, it is the barkada or peer group. The peer group is
a group of youths of similar age levels and interest that often can empower young people in their sense of
feeling worthwhile and important. The social world of some adolescents revolves around their closest friends.
They search for acceptance, status, identity and meaning through interaction with others. Their friends' music,
dress, language, attitude, ambitions, and behavior often become their own. Peer group activities reflect
behaviors that are symbolic of adulthood and are viewed as signs that the person is no longer a child, behaviors
often having to do with drugs, sexuality and freedom Wanting to be accepted and to feel important and more
grown up. many youths turn to delinquent activities because of their peer's influence.

The period of adolescence and intense peer-group activity is viewed by many as the time in a youth's life
that is most likely to lead to conflict with adults, social institutions and the law. As young people increasingly
perceive a social and moral distance between themselves and adults, they look to the peer group for
camaraderie, Acceptance and a sense of purpose. Without close parental supervision and guidance. youths are
susceptible to do what their peers dictate on them, which may lead to minor or even major forms of deviance
and delinquency.

Peer Relations and Delinquency

Research shows that peer group relationships are closely tied to delinquent behaviors. Kids who report
inadequate or strained peer relations, who say they are not popular with the opposite sex are the ones most
likely to become delinquent. The weight of the empirical evidence indicates that youths who are loyal to
delinquent friends. belong to ganga, and those who have "bad companions are the ones most likely commit
crimes and engage in violence. Reviews of the research show that delinquent acts tend to be committed in small
groups, rather than alone - a process called co offending. The group process may involve family members as
well as peers; brothers are likely to commit offenses with brothers of a similar age.

Delinquent groups tend to be small and transitory. Kids often belong to more than a single deviant group
or clique and develop an extensive network of delinquent associates. Multiple memberships are desirable
because delinquent groups tend to specialize in different types of delinquent activity, One group may
concentrate on shoplifting while another performs home invasions. Group roles can vary: An adolescent who
assumes a leadership role in one group may be a follower in another. A youth who may instigate the group to
commit a criminal act in one context will be a follower in another

Some kids are particularly susceptible to peer influence. In one recent study, Richard Felson and Dana
Haynie found that boys who go through puberty at an early age were more likely to later engage in violence,
property crimes, drug use, and precocious sexual behavior. The boys mature early were the most likely to
develop strong attachments to delinquent friends and be influenced by peer pressure. The earlier a youngster
develops relationships with delinquent peers and the closer those relationships become, the more likely the
youth will become a delinquent.

The Structure of Peer Relations

Does having antisocial peers cause delinquency, or are delinquents antisocial youths who seek out like-
minded companions because they can be useful in committing crimes? There are actually five independent
viewpoints on this question.

1. According to the control theory approach articulated by Hirschi, delinquents are as detached from their peers
as they are from other elements of society While they appear to have close friends, delinquents actually Lack
the social skills to make their peer relations rewarding or fulfilling. Antisocial adolescent seeks out like-minded
peers for criminal associations. If delinquency is committed in groups it is because birds of a feather flock
together. Peers have less of an influence on delinquency than traditionally believed.

2. Delinquent friends cause law-abiding youths to get in trouble. Kids who fall in with a bad crowd are at risk
for delinquency Youths who maintain friendships with antisocial peers are more likely to become delinquent
regardless of their own personality or the type of supervision they receive at home. Even previously law-abiding
youths are more likely to get involved in delinquency if they become associated with friends who initiate them
into delinquent careers.

3. Antisocial youths seek out and join up with like-minded friends; deviant peers sustain and amplify delinquent
careers. Those who choose aggressive or violent friends are more likely to begin engaging in antisocial behavior
themselves and suffer psychological deficits.
4. As youths move through their life course, antisocial friends help them maintain delinquent careers and
obstruct the aging out process. In contrast, non-delinquent friends moderate delinquency. If adulthood brings
close and sustaining ties to conventional friends, marriage and family, the level of deviant behavior will decline.

5. Troubled kids choose delinquent peers out of necessity rather than desire. The social baggage they cart
around prevents them from developing associations with conventional peers. Because they are impulsive they
may hook up with friends who are dangerous and get them into trouble. Deviant peers do not cause straight kids
to go bad, but they amplify the likelihood of a troubled kid getting further involved in antisocial behaviors.

Peer Rejection/Peer Acceptance

While most research looks at the influence of deviant peers, there is also evidence that conventional,
law-abiding peers affect behavior. By snubbing kids whom they consider wild and unruly. peer rejection helps
lock aggressive kids into a cycle of persistent violence that is likely to continue into delinquency producing
traits. For example, rejected kids who have attention and hyperactivity problems are more likely to suffer later
conduct problems.

Peer rejection may help increase and sustain antisocial behaviors because outcast kids become
suspicious of other people's motives, see them as hostile, and become more likely to respond in an antisocial
manner. Because the most popular kids reject them, these troubled youths have fewer positive social options
and may be drawn to lower status and deviant peer groups. Hoping to belong and be accepted in at least one
peer group, no matter its damaged reputation, they feel compelled to engage in more antisocial activity in an
effort to gain standing and approval.

If peer rejection promotes delinquency, can peer acceptance reverse its tide? As Sampson and Laub
suggested in their age-graded theory, having prosocial friends who are committed to conventional success m
help increase social capital, an end-product which help shield kids from crime-producing inducements in their
environment. In a national survey of youth, John Paul Wright and Francise Cullen found that, as predicted,
associating with pro-social coworkers on the job helped lure kids away from delinquent peer networks, and
consequently reduced their criminal behavior and drug use; the effect continued on to their adulthood.

Gangs

As youths move through adolescence, they gravitate toward cliques that provide them with support,
assurance, protection, and direction. Peer group membership allows them to devalue enemies, achieve status
and develop self-assurance. In some instances, the peer group provides the social and emotional basis for
antisocial activity, including crime and substance abuse. In this instance, the clique is transformed into a gang.

Gangs are groups of youths who collectively engage in delinquent behaviors. Yet, there is a distinction
between group delinquency and gang delinquency. The former consists of a short-lived alliance created to
commit a particular crime or engage in a random violent act. In contrast, gang delinquency involves long-lived,
complex institutions that have a distinct structure and organization, including identifiable leadership, division of
labor (some members are fighters, others burglars, while some are known as deal makers), rules, rituals, and
possessions (such as headquarters and weapons).

Other definitions of gang are as follows:

• Any congregation of youths who have joined together to engage in delinquent acts.

• A cohesive group that holds and defends territory or turfs

• An interstitial group, a phrase coined by gang expert Frederick Thrasher. He used the term to refer to the fact
that gangs fill the cracks in the fabric of society. To be considered a gang, a group must maintain standard group
processes, such as recruiting new members, setting goals (such as controlling the neighboring drug trade),
assigning roles (appointing someone to negotiate with rivals), and developing status (grooming young members
for leadership roles).

Although a great deal of divergence over the definition of gang exists, Malcolm Klein argues that two
factors stand out as part of the concept of the youth gang:

1. Members have self-recognition of their gang status, and use special vocabulary, clothing. signs, colors,
graffiti, and names. Members set themselves apart from the community and are viewed as a separate entity by
others. Once they get the label of gang, members eventually accept and take pride in their status.
2. There is a commitment to criminal activity, though even the most criminal gang members spend the bulk of
their time in noncriminal activities.

Gang Names

When the early gangs were formed, they took their names from the neighborhoods where they started and
carried on their activities (for example, Southside Raiders, Twelfth Street Locos, Jackson Park Boys). Some
used more colorful, non-locality. based names of their own choosing Cobras, Warriors, Los Diablos, Mafia
Emperors).

Gang Types

Gangs have been categorized by their activity Some are devoted to violence and protecting their
neighborhood boundaries or turf, others are devoted to theft. Some specialize in drug trafficking: others are
primarily social groups concerned with recreation, rather than crime

Most gangs fall into one of four categories:

1. Social Gang - involved in few delinquent activities and little drug use other than alcohol and marijuana.
Membership is more interested in the social aspects of group behavior

2. Party Gang - concentrates on drug use and sales, forgoing most delinquent behavior. except vandalism. Drug
sales are designed to finance members' personal drug use

3. Serious Delinquent Gang - engages in serious delinquent behavior while eschewing most drug use Drugs are
used only on social occasions

4. Organized Gang - heavily involved in criminality and drug use and sales. Drug use and sales reflect a
systemic relationship with other criminal acts For example, violent acts are used to establish control over drug
sale territories. Highly cohesive and organized, this gang is on the verge of becoming a formal criminal
organization.

Gang Location

The gang problem has traditionally been considered an urban, lower-class phenomenon. Two types of
urban areas are gang-prone. The first is the transitional neighborhood, which is marked by rapid population
change in which diverse ethnic and racial groups find themselves living side by side and in competition with
one another. Intergang conflict and homicide rates are high in these areas, which house the so-called urban
underclass.

The second gang area is the stable slum, a neighborhood where population shifts have slowed down,
permitting patterns of behavior and traditions to develop over a number of years. The stable slum more often
contains the large, structured gang clusters that are the most resistant to attempts by law enforcement and social
service agencies to modify or disband them.

Gang Age

The ages of gang members range widely, perhaps from as young as 8 to as old as 55. However, members
of offending groups are usually no more than a few years apart in age, with a leader, or instigator, who may be
more experienced and a few years older.

A recent survey of 3,348 youths, including almost 2,000 gang members, conducted by the National
Gang Crime Research Center, found that kids first hear about gangs at around 9 years old, get involved in
violence at age 10 or 11, and join their first gang at age 12. By age 13, half of the gang boys interviewed had
fired a pistol, seen someone killed or seriously injured by gang violence, gotten permanent gang tattoo, and
been arrested.

Gang experts believe the average age of gang members has been increasing yearly. This trend is
attributed to economic reasons. William Julius Wilson found that the inability of inner-city males to obtain
adequate employment prevents them from attaining adult roles; for example, they cannot afford to marry and
raise families. Criminal records acquired at an early age quickly lock them out of the job market. Remaining in
a gang into their adulthood has become an economic necessity. The weakening economy should prolong gang
membership even further.

Gang Formation
 Gang formation involves a sense of territoriality. Most gang members live in close proximity to one
another, and their sense of belonging and loyalty extends only to their small area of the city. At first, a gang
may form when members of an ethnic minority newly settled in the neighborhood join together for self-
preservation. As the group gains numerical domination over an area, it may view the neighborhood as its
territory or turf, which needs to be defended. Defending turf involves fighting rivals who want to make the
territory their own.

Once formed, gangs grow when youths who admire the older gang boys and wish to imitate their
lifestyle "apply and are accepted for membership Sometimes, the new members will be given a special,
diminished identity within the gang that reflects their inexperienced and apprenticeship status. Joan Moore and
her associates found that once formed, youth cliques (klikas) in Hispanic gangs remain together as groups with
separate names (for example, the Termites), separate identities, experiences; they also have and more distinct
intimate relationships among themselves than among the general gang membership. She likens klikas to
particular class university, such as the class 94 not a separate organization, but one that has its own unique
experiences.

Moore also found that gangs can expand by including members' kin, even if they do not live in the
immediate neighborhood, and rival gang members who wish to join because they admire the gang's way of
doing things. Adding outsiders gives the gang the ability to take over new territory However, it also brings with
it new problems, since outsider membership and the grasp for new territory usually result in greater conflicts
with rival gangs.

Gang Leadership

Most experts describe gang leaders as cool characters who have earned their position by demonstrating a
variety of abilities - fighting prowess, verbal quickness, athletic distinction, and so on. Experts emphasize that
gang leadership is held by one person and varies with particular activities, such as fighting, sex, and
negotiations. In fact, in some gangs, each age level of the gang has its own leader. Older members may be
looked up, but they are not necessarily considered leaders by younger members. Depending on the
organizational structure of the gang, there appears to be a diverse concept of leadership. Less organized gangs
are marked by diffuse and shifting leadership. Larger and more organized gangs have a clear chain of command
and leaders who are supposed to give orders, plan activities and control members' behavior.

Gang Communications

Gangs today seek recognition both from their rivals and the community as a whole. Image and
reputation depend on a gangs ability to communicate to the rest of the world. One major source of gang
communication is graffiti or writing on walls. For example, among Latino gangs, the term rifa is used to assert
power; “p/v" or por vida means the gang wants to control the area "for life;" numeral 13 signifies that the gang
is loco or "wild."

Gangs also communicate by ritualistic argot (speech patterns). The members speak a language exclusive
only to them.

Another method of communication is clothing. In some areas, gang members communicate their
membership by wearing jackets with the name of their gang embroidered on the back.

Controlling Gang Activity

Gang control takes three basic forms:

1. The youth service program, in which traditional police personnel, usually from the youth unit, are given
responsibility for gang control. No personnel are assigned exclusively or mainly to gang-control work.

2. The gang detail, in which one ore more police officers, usually from youth or detective units, are assigned
exclusively to gang-control work.

3. The gang unit, established solely to deal with gang problems, to which one or more officers are assigned
exclusively to gang-control work.

ENVIRONMENT
 The outside environment where a youth resides is also influential. It is where the child is exposed to
after his first highly formative years. It may be a place where crime is a day-to-day event or a haven where the
existence of crime is an unusual occurrence. For an environment to become a factor in delinquency problem,
children can be found in the street roaming most of the time in the company of adults whose words and
behaviors are not fit to be heard and seen by a growing child. The negative influence that can be exerted by a
place to minors can be adopted in so many ways as they grow up. The reflection of the environment is
ultimately manifested in the character and personality of a child as he or she becomes an adult.

The following are the possible influences of the environment to the child:

a. associations with criminal groups

b. alcoholism and drug addiction

c. impulse of fear

d. crime inducing situation that caused criminalistic tendencies

e. imitated instinct like selfishness, violence and anti-social wishes.

SCHOOL

The school, unlike the family, is a public instrument for training young people. It is, therefore, more
directly accessible to change through the development of new resources and policies. And since it is the
principal instrument to the goals and values of our society, it is imperative that it be provided with the resources
to compete with illegitimate attraction for young people's allegiance. Anything less would be a serious failure to
discharge our nation's responsibility to its youth.

Some instances of delinquent conduct to the school. child relationship are the following:

a. Failure of the school in character development of the children and youth

b. Use of methods that create the conditions of failure or frustrations on the part of the students

c. Lack of facilities for curricular and extra-curricular activities

Academic Performance and Delinquency

Poor academic performance has been directly linked to delinquent behavior. There is general consensus
that students who are chronic underachievers in school are also the most likely to be delinquent. In fact,
researchers commonly find that school failure is a stronger predictor of delinquency than such personal
variables as economic class membership or peer group relations. Studies that compare the academic records of
delinquents and nondelinquents, including their scores on standardized tests of basic skills, failure rate, teacher
ratings and other academic measures, have found that delinquents are often academically deficient, a condition
that may lead to their leaving school and becoming involved in activities. Kids who report that they do not like
school, do antisocial not do well in school, and do not concentrate on their homework are also the ones most
likely to self-report delinquent acts. In contrast, at-risk kids, even those with histories of abuse and neglect, who
do well in school are often able to avoid delinquent involvement.

Social Failure and Delinquency

One view on the relationship between social failure and delinquency is that school experience is a direct
cause of delinquent behavior. Children who fail at school soon feel frustrated, angry and rejected. Believing
they will never achieve success through conventional means, they seek out like-minded companions and
together engage in antisocial behaviors. Educational failure, beginning early in the life course, evokes negative
responses from important people in the child's life, including teachers, parents, and perspective employers.
These reactions help solidify feelings of social inadequacy and, in some cases, lead the underachieving student
into a pattern of chronic delinquency.

A second view is that school failure leads to psychological and behavioral dysfunction, which is the
actual cause of antisocial behavior. For example, academic failure helps reduce self-esteem; studies using a
variety of measures of academic competence and self-esteem clearly demonstrate that good students have a
better attitude about themselves than do poor students. Reduced self-esteem has also been found to contribute to
delinquent behavior. The association then runs from school failure to low self-concept to delinquency. The
school failure delinquency association may be mediated then by efforts to stabilize or improve the self-image of
academically challenged children.

School Climate

The term ‘’school climate’’ generally refers to a broad range of concepts that include the culture of the
school how the school is structured and administered, its design and its rule structure. Schools with a positive
culture will maintain unwritten rules of conduct that encourage communication between students and also with
faculty and administration. The school's norms should discourage negative actions such as bullying and
discrimination Rules are fair and clearly written and disseminated to students.

Positive climate is enhanced by administrations that are sensitive to student needs. This can be
manifested in curriculum designed to provide a relevant classroom experience.

Also, both boys and girls who perceive a positive school climate are less likely to manifest
psychological and behavioral problems than those who fail to share such positive perceptions. Even schools
located in high crime areas report relatively less crime when they maintain a positive and supportive climate.
School stability then may help neutralize the delinquency-producing effect of neighborhood disorganization and
high crime rates.

Moreover, schools that do not maintain a positive climate are at risk for producing large numbers of
cynical, alienated students who report they neither like school nor care about their teachers' opinions. In
contrast, kids who like school and report greater involvement in school activities also are less likely to engage
in delinquent behaviors. Commitment to school coupled with the belief that their school is being fairly run and
that the school rules are being consistently applied helps kids resist criminality. Attachment to teachers also
helps insulate high-risk adolescents from delinquency. Alienated students attending isolated, impersonal schools
that curriculums irrelevant to their needs may want to drop out, a step that may make them even more prone to
antisocial behaviors.

Widespread inequality is also prevalent in some schools causing problems for many children,
particularly among low-income juveniles. And yet, regardless of whether schools are well-funded, schools are
part of a larger society, where children are subordinates to adults. In schools, teachers hold power and students
exercise little control over their education. It is still the educational interest of the government, the education
department, school districts, school administrators and teachers that prevail. The teacher is the manager, whose
task is to impose the curriculum upon the students, whether children learn anything or not. Under these
circumstances, it not surprising that some students find school uninteresting. hostile, boring and uninviting,
where the teacher-student relationship is characterized by structured conflict, and where teachers coerce
students into obedience and teach them to follow routines and submit to authority, or else. Some students feel
they are inside a container, waiting to explode and act out inappropriate ways that are dangerous to them, their
classmates and their teachers.

In many cases, schools that are insensitive to the growing needs of children with respect to their
individualities and capabilities in terms of psychological, emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects, lead to
the serious problem of juvenile delinquency, Another contributing factor in delinquency problem in schools is
the disruptive behavior of students in many classrooms. Such behavior takes many forms - defiance of
authority, manipulation of teachers, inability or unwillingness to follow rules, lack of motivation to learn, fights
with classmates, destruction of school properties, use of prohibited substances in school, and physical or verbal
altercations with teachers. Disruptive students require a great deal of time from teachers and counselors who try
to make them accountable for their behavior and to teach them acceptable behavior.

In order to reduce the amount of delinquency generated by the school, policymakers are challenged to
improve the quality of our primary and secondary levels of education based on the existing time. Methodology
of teaching must be based on present currencies, age, level, capabilities, and other important considerations that
would greatly improve the child's interest in learning.

MASS MEDIA

Mass media embraces all kinds of communications where a child is exposed to. It covers up everything
that a child hears and sees that leaves behind in his or her imagination. It could be anything a child saw on
television, heard over the radio, read from a book or magazine, or even saw in a movie house.
 Television and movies have popularized the "cult of heroes," which promotes justice through the
physical elimination of enemies. Many researchers have concluded that young people who watch violence tend
to behave more aggressively or violently, particularly when provoked. This is mainly characteristic of 8 to 12-
year-old boys, who are more vulnerable to such influences. Media bring an individual to violence in three ways.
First, movies that demonstrate violent acts excite spectators, and the aggressive energy can then be transferred
to everyday life, pushing an individual to engage in physical activity on the streets. This type of influence is
temporary, lasting from several hours to several days. Second, television can portray ordinary daily violence
committed by parents or peers (the imposition of penalties for failing to study or for violations of certain rules
or norms of conduct). It is impossible to find television shows that do not portray such patterns of violence,
because viewer approval of this type of programming has ensured its perpetuation. As a result, children are
continually exposed to the use of violence in different situations and the number of violent acts on television
appears to be increasing. Third, violence depicted in the media is unreal and has a surrealistic quality, wounds
bleed less, and the real pain and agony resulting from violent actions are very rarely shown, on the
consequences of violent behavior often neem negligible. Over time, television causes a shift in the system of
human values and indirectly leads children to view violence as a desirable and even courageous way of
reestablishing justice. The American Psychological Association has reviewed the evidence and has concluded
that television violence accounts for about 10 percent of aggressive behavior among children.

The information fed by media to the child, if not properly screened by parents to be fitted to his or her
age level and not within his or her comprehension, would be very detrimental to the proper upbringing of the
child.

IV. COMPREHENSIVE CHECK-UP:

1. What is the relation of peers to the delinquent behavior of juvenile?

2. What is the major source of Gang communication?

3. How the academic performance leads to Delinquency?

4. How the Mass Media contribute to the delinquency of juvenile?

 I. OBJECTIVES;
AT THE END OF THIS TOPIC THE STUDENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND;
1. Why do juveniles turn to delinquent activities of their peers?

2. What are gangs?

3. How is the behavior of the youth influenced by the outside environment? media? religion?

4. How is delinquency related to gender? social class?

II. TIME FRAME:

Week 7
III. TOPIC

Other Contributory Factors to Juvenile Delinquency Problem

The delinquency problem is also linked to other factors as follows:

Government

Some departments or agencies of the government also create factors that influence the youth to become
delinquent, such as: (1) political interference of the higher positions, (2) unfair decisions of the court. (3) police
carelessness and unfair treatment, and even the police policy itself.

Religion

Religion is another contributing factor as such shapes the child's spiritual beliefs. It serves as a guide in
his or her moral preferences as he grows up. The molding up of a child's character starts from his spirituality
which is brought about by the teachings of his or her church. The moment children fear no God, the probability
of acknowledging the existence of their parents as the source of their being does not exist in their minds, leading
them to think that they owe nobody anything. Deviant behavior flourishes among this type of children.

Exclusion

Exclusion is another influential factor to delinquency. The growing gap between rich and poor has led to the
emergence of unwanted others. The exclusion of some people is gradually increasing with the accumulation of
obstacles, ruptured social ties, unemployment and identity crises. Welfare systems that have provided relief but
have not eliminated the humble socio-economic position of certain groups, together with the increased
dependence of low-income families on social security services, have contributed to the development of a "new
poor" class in many places. The symbolic exclusion from society of juveniles who have committed even minor
offenses has important implications for the development of delinquent careers. Studies show that the act of
labeling may lead to the self-adoption of a delinquent image, which later results in delinquent activity.

Correlates of Delinquency

An important aspect of delinquency research is measurement of the personal traits and social
characteristics associated with adolescent misbehavior. If, for example, a strong association exists between
delinquent behavior and family income, then poverty and economic deprivation must be considered in any
explanation of the onset of adolescent criminality. If the delinquency-income association is not present, other
forces may be responsible for producing anti-social behavior. It would be fruitless to concentrate delinquency
control efforts in areas such as job creation and vocational training if social status were found to be unrelated to
delinquent behavior. Similarly, if only a handful of delinquents are responsible for most serious crimes, crime
control policies might be made more effectively by identifying and treating these offenders.

Gender and Delinquency

Available data show that delinquency and crime have strong gender associations.

Police records indicate that the crime rates of male juvenile and male young adult offenders are more
than double those of young females, and conviction rates are six or seven times higher. The number of male
juvenile suspects for every 100,000 members of the designated age group is more than six times the
corresponding figure for females; for those in the youth category the male-female suspect ratio is even higher, at
12.5 to 1.6 There are a number of reasons why more young men than young women are involved in violent or
criminal behavior. Various restrictive and stimulative factors encourage women to conform to social norms that
do not apply to men, one example being the fear of sexual assault. Girls are subject to stronger family control
than are boys. Cultural concepts are such that society at large is less tolerant of deviant behavior among young
women than among young men. In addition, aggression and violence play an important role in the construction
of masculinity and sexuality in patriarchal societies, the primary objective being to reinforce and maintain the
status and authoritative position of men. The male perception of violence can be minimized, forgiven, denied or
justified. Men often do not consider such acts as verbal or sexual insults to constitute violent behavior.

One relationship reverses this general pattern: Girls are more likely than boys to be arrested as
runaways. There are two possible explanations for this. Girls could be more likely than boys to run away from
home, or police may view the female runaway as the more serious problem and therefore be more likely to
process females through official justice channels. This may reflect paternalistic attitudes toward girls, who are
viewed as likely to get in trouble if they are on the street.

In recent years, arrests of female delinquents have been increasing faster than those for males. Self-
report data also seem to show that the incidence of female delinquency is much higher than believed earlier, and
that the most common crimes committed by males are also the ones most female offenders commit.

Social Class and Delinquency

Defining the relationship between economic status and delinquent behavior is a key element in the study
of delinquency. If youth crime is purely a lower-class phenomenon, its cause must be rooted in the social forces
that are found solely in lower-class areas: poverty, unemployment, social disorganization, culture conflict, and
alienation. However, if delinquent behavior is spread throughout the social structure, its cause must be related to
some noneconomic factor: intelligence, personality, socialization, family dysfunction, educational failure, or
peer influence. According to this line of reasoning, providing jobs or economic incentives would have little
effect on the crime rate.

At first glance, the relationship between class and crime seems clear. Youths who lack wealth or social
standing are the most likely to use criminal means to achieve their goals. Communities that lack economic and
social opportunities produce high levels of frustration. Kids who live in these areas believe that they can never
compete socially or economically with adolescents being raised in more affluent areas. They may turn to
criminal behavior for monetary gain and psychological satisfaction. Family life is disrupted in these low-income
areas, and law-violating youth groups thrive in a climate that undermines and neutralizes adult supervision.

Age and Delinquency

Age is inversely related to criminality: As youthful offenders mature, their offending rates decline.
Official statistics tell us that young people are arrested at a disproportionate rate to their numbers in the
population, and this finding is supported by victim surveys.

Why does crime decline with age? Why do people commit less crime as they age? One view is that the
relationship is constant Regardless of race, sex, social class, intelligence, or any other social variable, people
commit less crime as they age, this is referred to as the aging-output process. According to this view, even the
most chronic juvenile offenders will commit less crime as they age.

Delinquency experts have developed a number of reasons for the aging-out process:

 Growing older means having to face the future. Young people, especially the indigent and antisocial
tend to discount the future. Why should they delay gratification when faced with an uncertain future?

 With maturity comes the ability to resist the "quick fix to problems. Research shows that some kids may
turn to crime as a way to solve the problems of adolescence, loneliness, frustration, and fear of peer
rejection. As they mature, conventional means of problem solving become available. Life experience
helps former delinquents seek nondestructive solutions to their personal problems.

 Maturation coincides with increased levels of responsibility. Petty crimes are risky and exciting social
activity that provides adventure in an otherwise boring world. As youths grow older, they take on new
responsibilities that are inconsistent with criminality. For example, young people who marry, enlist in
the armed services, or enroll in vocational training courses are less likely to pursue criminal activities.
  Personalities can change with age. As youths mature, rebellious youngsters may develop increased self-
control and be able to resist anti-social behavior.

 Young adults become more aware of the risks that accompany crime. As adults, they are no longer
protected by the kindly arms of the juvenile justice system.

Age of Onset

Age may influence delinquent behavior in other ways. For example, evidence exists that people who
demonstrate antisocial tendencies at a very early age are more likely to commit more crime for a longer
duration, this is referred to as the age of onset. According to this view, there are two classes of offenders. The
first begin committing crime in late adolescence, typically with their peers, and then cease offending as they
enter young adulthood. These youngsters begin to desist, from illegal or deviant activities as they mature and
begin to realize that crime is too dangerous, physically taxing, and unrewarding. and punishments too harsh and
long lasting, to become a way of life.

The second group of delinquents is composed of those who begin their offending careers early in life
and maintain a high rate of offending throughout their lifespan. Early onset of crime is a marker for their
chronic offending patterns. Research supports this by showing that children who will later become delinquents
begin their deviant careers at a very early (preschool) age and that the earlier the onset of delinquency the more
frequent, varied, and sustained the criminal career. Early onset delinquents typically have a history of disruptive
behavior beginning in early childhood with truancy, cruelty to animals, lying, and theft.

IV. COMPREHENSION CHECK-UP:

1. What is socialization?

2. Why is the family the primary contributory factor to juvenile delinquency?

3. How does school contribute to the delinquency problem?

4. Why do juveniles turn to delinquent activities of their peers?

5. What are gangs?

6. How is the behavior of the youth influenced by the outside environment? media? religion?

7. How is delinquency related to gender? social class?

 I. OBJECTIVE:
At the end of this section, the student should be able to:

• Discuss the role played by the police in solving delinquency problem

• Describe the attitude of the police toward youth and crime

• Explain the legal procedure the police take in dealing with juveniles in conflict with the law

• Identify approaches and strategies used by the police in preventing or controlling delinquency

II. TIME FRAME:

Week 8

III. TOPIC:
DELINQUENCY AS A PROBLEM; Police Work on Delinquency

Juveniles and the Police

The police are the first line of defense against crime. Having the power to arrest and use deadly force,
the police are charged both with preventing and deterring crime and maintaining peace within the community.

At work, the police to constantly bear in mind though that juvenile delinquents should be handled in a
different manner from the adult offenders. Most juvenile delinquents are immature boys and girls lacking in
judgment, who need understanding and guidance rather than punishment.

Juvenile crime represents one of the most demanding and frustrating areas of police work. Youthful law
breaking and misbehavior strain law enforcement in large degree. The leniency of juvenile court codes also
makes it difficult for police to deal effectively with youth crime. One of the most common complaints of the
police officers is that arrested juvenile offenders are back on the streets before the officers have had a chance to
complete the necessary paper work. Yet, the importance of police juvenile relations cannot be minimized. The
police are usually a juvenile offender's first contact with the juvenile justice system. As the doorway into the
system, the police officer can use his discretion to either change the youth or involve them in the system. In fact
and in truth, the police officer becomes an on-the-spot prosecutor, judge and correctional system when dealing
with a juvenile offender.

Police Services

Police who work with juvenile offenders usually have skills and talents that go beyond those generally
associated with regular police work. In large urban police departments, juvenile services are often established
through a special unit. Ordinarily this unit is the responsibility of a command-level police officer, who assigns
officers to deal with juvenile problems throughout the police department's jurisdiction. Police departments with
very few officers have little need for an internal division with special functions. Most small departments make
one officer responsible for handling juvenile matters for the entire community. A large proportion of justice
agencies have written policy directives for handling juvenile offenders. However, in both large and small
departments, officers assigned to work with juveniles will not necessarily be the only ones involved in handling
juvenile offenses. When officers on patrol encounter a youngster committing a crime, they are responsible for
dealing with the problem initially; they generally refer the case to the juvenile unit or to a juvenile police officer
for follow-up.

Police Roles

Juvenile officers operate either as specialists within a police department or as part of the juvenile unit of
a police department. Their role is similar to that of officers working with adult offenders: to intervene if the
actions of a citizen produce public danger or disorder. Most juvenile officers are appointed after having had
some patrol experience. A desire to work with juveniles, as well as an aptitude for the work, is considered
essential for the job. Officers must also have a thorough knowledge of the law, especially the constitutional
protections available to juveniles.
 Most officers regard the violations of juveniles as nonserious unless they are committed by chronic
troublemakers or involve significant damage to persons or property. Police encounters with juveniles are
generally the result of reports made by citizens, and the bulk of such encounters pertains to matters of minor
legal consequence. Of course, police must also deal with serious juvenile offenders whose criminal acts are
similar to those of adults; these are a minority of the offender population. Thus, police who deal with
delinquency must concentrate on being peacekeepers and crime preventers.

Handling juvenile offenders can produce major role conflicts for police. They may experience a tension
between their desire to perform what they consider their primary duty, law enforcement, and the need to aid in
the rehabilitation of youthful offenders. Police officers' actions in cases involving adults are usually controlled
by the law and their own judgment or discretion. In contrast, a case involving a juvenile often demands that the
officer consider the "best interest of the child" and how the officer's actions will influence the child's future
well-being. However, in recent years police have become more likely to refer juvenile offenders to courts.

Police intervention in situations involving juveniles can be difficult and emotional. The officer often
encounters hostile behavior from the juvenile offender, as well as agitated witnesses. Overreaction by the
officer can result in a violent incident. Even if the officer succeeds in quieting or dispersing the witnesses, they
will probably reappear the next day, often in the same place.

Role conflicts are common, because most police juvenile encounters are brought about by loitering and
rowdiness rather than by serious law violations. Public concern has risen about out-of-control youth. Yet,
because of legal constraints and family interference, the police are often limited in the ways they can respond to
such offenders.

What role should the police play in mediating problems with youths - law enforcer or delinquency
prevention worker? Most police departments operate juvenile programs that combine law enforcement and
delinquency prevention roles, and the police work with the juvenile court to determine a role most suitable for
their community. Police officers may even act as prosecutors in some rural courts when attorneys are not
available. Thus, the police-juvenile role extends from the on-the-street encounter to the station house to the
court. For juvenile matters involving minor criminal conduct or incorrigible behavior, the police ordinarily
select the least restrictive alternative, which includes such measures as temporary assistance or referral to
community agencies. In contrast, violent juvenile crime requires that the police arrests while providing
constitutional safeguards similar available to adult offenders.

Police Attitudes Toward Youth and Crime

The police today have more positive attitudes toward youthful offenders than in the past. However, there
are hindrances that hold them to really work hard toward the betterment of police-youth relations. First, the
police see themselves as skilled in their ability to confront youth offenders, but the leniency of our juvenile laws
makes them believe nothing will happen if youthful offenders are apprehended, unless the offense is serious.
Second, the dangers inherent in their job require the police to be alert to minor offenders who would lead them
to trouble or danger, and therefore, experienced police officers know they must be especially guarded in a
police juvenile's unpredictability, and resistance makes these difficult situations occur. The hard-core juvenile
offenders represent the greatest danger to the police officer. Violent gang members, for example, are not afraid
to hurt and kill police officers. Third, the police must always defend their authority, which requires them to
prevent any verbal or physical abuse from teenagers or adults. Juvenile offenders, especially those who have
had contact with the system before, are likely to challenge the authority of the police officer. Hardened and
professional juvenile offenders know how far they can push the officer, and they are quite knowledgeable of
their rights. Juveniles are even more likely to challenge the police officer's authority, especially when they are
in company with members of their gangs.

Disparities and discrimination in police decision making, regarding which juvenile to arrest and which
to release with just a warning, most of the time produce negative perception of the police.

While relations between the police and youths in general have improved over the past years, many
tensions remain, making the work of police difficult. Obviously, many youths do not feel comfortable around
police, do not trust police, and instead of seeing the police as a force of community protection, the youth
perceive them to be a force of oppression. Relations between minors and police largely reflect the relations
between adults and police. The use of police discretion and the context for making decision can be changed, and
the majority of police agencies have been taking steps to change things in order to improve relations between
kids and cops. Probably the most comprehensive changes have come under the umbrella or community-oriented
policing, which aimed at reducing the distance between youths and cops as well as providing opportunities for
police to divert many youths out of the juvenile justice system.

Police and Violent Juvenile Crime

Violent juvenile offenders are defined as those adjudicated delinquents for crimes of homicide, rape,
robbery, aggravated assault, and kidnapping. Juveniles typically account for nearly 20 percent of all violent
crime arrests. Though the juvenile violence rate has recently declined, the future is uncertain. Some experts
believe that a surge of violence will occur as the children of baby boomers enter their prime crime years. They
predict that juvenile arrests for violent crime will double in the coming years.

As a result of these predictions, police and other justice agencies are experimenting with different
methods of controlling violent youth. Some of these methods, such as placing more officers on the beat, have
existed for decades; others rely on state-of-the-art technology to pinpoint the locations of violent crimes and
develop immediate countermeasures. Research shows that there are a number of effective policing practices,
including increased directed patrols in street-comer hot spots of crime; proactive arrests of serious repeat
offenders, and problem-oriented policing. These strategies address problems of community disorganization and
can be effective deterrents when combined with other laws and policies, such as restricting the possession of
firearms. Although many of these policing strategies are not new, implementing them as one element of an
overall police plan may have an impact on preventing juvenile violence.

Finally, one key component of any innovative police program dealing with violent juvenile crime is
improved communications between the police and the community.

Police and the Rule of Law

When police are involved with criminal activity of juvenile offenders, their actions are controlled by
statute, constitutional case law, and judicial review. Police methods of investigation and control include (1)
arrest procedure, (2) search and seizure, and (3) custodial interrogation

The Arrest Procedure

When a juvenile is apprehended, the police must decide whether to release the youngster or make a
referral to the juvenile court. Cases involving serious crimes against property or persons are often referred to
court. Less serious cases, such as disputes between juveniles, petty shoplifting, runaways, and assaults of
minors, are often diverted from court action.

The law of arrest for juveniles is generally the same for adults. To make a legal arrest, an officer must
have probable cause to believe that an offense took place and that the suspect is the guilty party. Probable cause
is usually defined as falling somewhere between a mere suspicion and absolute certainty. In misdemeanor cases
the police officer must personally observe the crime in order to place a suspect in custody. For a felony, the
police officer may make the arrest without having observed the crime if the officer has probable cause to
believe the crime occurred and the person being arrested serious offense; a committed it. A felony is
misdemeanor is a minor or petty crime. Crimes such as murder, rape and robbery are felonies; crimes such as
petty larceny and disturbing the peace are misdemeanors.

The main difference between arrests of adult and juvenile offenders is the broader latitude police have to
control youthful behavior. Most juvenile codes, for instance, provide broad authority for the police to take
juveniles into custody. Such statutes are designed to give the police the authority to act in loco parentis (Latin
for "in place of the parent"). Accordingly, the broad power granted to police is consistent with the notion that a
juvenile is not arrested but taken into custody, which implies a protective rather than a punitive form of
detention.

However, there is currently a trend toward treating juvenile offenders more like adults. Related to this
trend are efforts by the police to provide a more legalistic and less informal approach to the arrest process, and a
more balanced approach to case disposition.

Search and Seizure

Do juveniles have the same right to be free from unreasonable search and seizures as adults? In general,
a citizen's privacy is protected by Sec. 2, Art. III of the Philippine Constitution, which states that:

The right of the people, to be secure in their persons, houses, papers unreasonable searches and
seizures of whatever and effects against nature and for any purpose shall be inviolable, and no search warrant
or warrant of arrest shall issue except upon probable cause to be determined personally by the judge after
examination under oath or affirmation of the complainant and the witnesses he may produce, and particularly
describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

Most courts have held that the Constitution's ban against unreasonable search and seizure applies to
juveniles and that illegally seized evidence is in inadmissible in a juvenile trial. To exclude incriminating
evidence, a juvenile's attorney makes a pretrial motion to suppress the evidence, the same procedure that is used
in the adult criminal process.

The Supreme Court has ruled that police may stop a suspect and search for evidence without a warrant
under certain circumstances. A person may be searched after a legal arrest, but then only in the immediate area
of the suspect's control. For example, after an arrest for possession of drugs, the pockets of a suspect's jacket
may be searched, an automobile may be searched if there is probable cause to believe a crime has taken place, a
suspect's outer garments may be frisked if police are suspicious of his or her activities, and a search may be
conducted if a person volunteers for the search. These rules are usually applied to juveniles as well as to adults.

Custodial Interrogation

In years past, police often questioned juveniles without their parents or even an attorney present. Any
incriminating statement arising from such custodial interrogation could be used at trial. However, in the 1966
Miranda case, the Supreme Court placed constitutional limitations on police interrogation procedures with adult
offenders.

Miranda held that persons in police custody must be told the following:

 They have the right to remain silent.

 Any statement they make can be used against them.

 They have the right to counsel.

 If they cannot afford counsel, it will furnished at public expense.

One problem associated with custodial interrogation of juveniles has to do with waiver of Miranda rights:
Under what circumstances can juveniles knowingly and willingly waive the rights given them by Miranda?
Does a youngster, acting alone, have sufficient maturity to appreciate the right to remain silent?

Most courts have concluded that parents or attorneys need not be present for juveniles to effectively waive
their rights. The validity of a waiver rests not only on the age of the youth but also on a combination of other
factors, including the child's education, the child's knowledge of the charge, whether the child was allowed to
consult with family or friends, and the method of interrogation. The general rule is that juveniles can waive their
rights to protection from self-incrimination, but that the validity of this waiver is determined by the
circumstances of each case.

Suggestive Remedy

In dealing with juveniles, the police must gain the confidence and respect of the citizens. For example:

Uniformed police officers assigned to school crossings have used their learned duties and obligations by
not only protecting the children while crossing the streets, but they must have shown to the children that they
are friendly, and that they sincerely wish to be friends with all children. The fact that the children go home and
relate these incidents to their parents had gone a long way in removing the fear on the part of the parents as well
as the children.

The police must work closely with school authorities to present to the students the true concepts of
police functions, and at the same time, they have carried the message of friendship and desire to be of service to
the school. This must be done in order to eliminate the barrier existing between the society and the police, and
to remove the public's definite fear on the police.

Police Concern for Youth

The police have been given a major responsibility in working with youth. They are in the unique
position of dealing with boys and girls whose behavior is in direct conflict with legally required behaviors of
members of society. The evolution of these responsibilities finds the police concerned with control and
prevention of delinquent behavior of juveniles.
Control of Unlawful Behavior of Youth and Undesirable Conditions Involving Youth

Control. It is a term which acknowledges the existence of unlawful behavior and the need to take
action.

Unlawful behavior of youth. It includes all types of activity in which laws and ordinances are violated
and such other activities as could bring youth before the juvenile court.

Undesirable conditions. The term refers to community hazards and community problems harmful to youth.

Control is accomplished in three major ways by the police:

1. Investigation of individual cases involving youth and conditions causing anti-social activities.

2. Providing a constructive disposition for individual cases and conditions through department action, referral to
other agencies, or to the juvenile court.

3. Providing overall effective police operations which reduce the opportunity for commission of law violations
and maintaining cooperative relations with other components of the juvenile justice system.

Prevention of Unlawful Behavior of Youth and Conditions Causing Anti-Social Activities

Prevention. It implies the keeping of unlawful behavior from occurring originally or keeping unlawful behavior
to a minimum, and thus avoiding police intervention.

The prevention phase is accomplished by the following:

1. Influencing youth, parents and the general public to meet the basic needs of the youth and to conform to all
laws and regulations made for their protection.

2. Participation in community organization planning with other agencies to improve the total community.

3. Providing overall effective police operations which reduce the desire on the part of the individuals to commit
unlawful acts.

Police Responsibility

Law enforcement's responsibility to the community is probably greater than that of any official agency.
The following are the primary responsibilities of the police:

1. detection of crime
2. apprehension of offenders
3. preservation of peace
4. general safety of the public

The discharge of these obligations is automatic, and if done satisfactorily, delinquency and crime
prevention would be controlled with no further effort on the part of the police or of the public.

Requirements in the Proper Discharge of Police Responsibilities

1. Closely observe places and conditions which may be regarded as breeding places for crime and delinquency

2. Always be in a better position than others to discover the existence of harmful influences to the children.

3. Know who are potential or actual delinquents and recognize who are victims of neglect and abuse.

4. Determine what measures to be adopted or which course will be the most advantageous.

5. Emphasize to the public that the home is the most vital force in the prevention of juvenile delinquency

The following tips have been found by practical experience to be the most conducive to the juvenile's welfare,
as well as in the best interest of the police department's aims and purposes.

1. Treat the juvenile with consideration.

2. Be friendly

3. Be firm. Appeal to his intelligence, to his reason and his sense of fairness.
4. Discover the child's problem, if possible.

5. Try to gain the child's respect and confidence.

6. Remember that the child of today is the man of tomorrow. It is wise to point out very clearly the disastrous
results to a boy's life if he is convicted of a major crime, and that this conviction will be a mark against him for
the rest of his life.

7. Do not resort to vulgarity or obscenity. Do not use insulting names and never lose your temper.

Community-Based Policing

Some police departments are now replacing more aggressive measures with cooperative community-
based efforts. Because police officers are responsible for the care of juveniles taken into custody, it is essential
that they work closely with social service groups day by day. In helping to develop delinquency prevention
programs, the police are working closely with youth service bureaus, schools, recreational facilities, welfare
agencies, and employment programs.

The premise of the community policing model of crime prevention is that the police can carry out their
duties more effectively by gaining the trust and assistance of concerned citizens. Under this model, the main
police role is to increase feelings of community safety and encourage area residents to cooperate with their local
police agencies. Advocates of community policing regard the approach as useful in juvenile justice for a
number of reasons:

1. Direct engagement with a community gives police more immediate information about problems unique to a
neighborhood and better insight into their solutions.

2. Freeing officers from the emergency response system permits them to engage more directly in proactive
crime prevention.

3. Making police operations more visible increases police accountability to the public.

4. Decentralizing operations allows officers to develop greater familiarity with the needs of various
constituencies in the community and to adapt procedures to accommodate those needs. 5. Encouraging officers
to view citizens as partners improves relations between police and the public. 6. Moving decision making to
patrol officers place more authority in the hands of the people who best know the community's problems and
expectations.

Curfews also represent a community-based policing service. Curfew laws vary with respect to the locale
affected, the time frame, and the sanctions. Most restrict minors to their homes or property between the hours of
11:00 P.M. and 6:00 A.M. Sanctions for curfew violations by youths range from fines to being charged with a
misdemeanor violation, and may include participation in diversion programs or, in some jurisdictions, jail time
for parents.

Problem-Oriented Policing

Also referred to as problem-solving policing, problem-oriented policing involves a systematic analysis

and response to the problems or conditions underlying criminal incidents rather than the incidents themselves.
The theory is that by attending to the underlying problems that cause criminal incidents, the police will have a
greater chance of preventing the crimes from reoccurring - the main problem with reactive or "incident-driven
policing." This is not the same as seeking out the root causes of the crime problem in general, as noted by
Harvard criminologist Mark Moore. It is much shallower, more situational approach.

The systematic nature of problem-oriented policing is characterized by its adherence to a four-step

model, often referred to as S.A.R.A., which stands for Scanning Analysis, Response, and Assessment. These
four steps are described as follows:

1. Scanning involves identifying a specific crime problem through various data sources (for example, victim
surveys, 117 calls)

2. Analysis involves carrying out an in-depth analysis of the crime problem and its underlying causes.

3. Response brings together the police and other partners to develop and implement a response to the problem
based on the results produced in the analysis stage.
4. Assessment is the stage in which the response to the problem is evaluated.

Like community policing, problem-oriented policing is viewed as a proactive delinquency prevention

strategy Unlike community policing, however, the engagement of the community in problem-oriented policing
is not imperative, but more often than not these operations involve close collaborations with the community and
juvenile justice agencies.

IV. COMPREHENSION CHECK-UP

Review Questions

1. What is the role played by the police in solving the delinquency problem?

2. Why is dealing with youth offenders difficult?

3. What are the primary responsibilities of the police?

4. What are the three (3) police methods of investigation and control?

5. How is arrest and interrogation of juveniles done? Is the legal procedure similar for adults?

6. Compare and contrast community-based policing and problem-oriented policing.

7. How do the police work with the community to solve the delinquency problem?

8. Give tips on dealing with juveniles in conflict with the law.