Juvenile Delinquency in a Diverse Society
Biology and the Environment can directly impact the behavior of children. Watch the two videos below. Compare and contrast the Beth and Eric. How should juvenile justice policy address these types of problems?
The first video is footage of a psychopathic child cut from the 1990 documentary Child of Rage. Technically, the child is not officially a psychopath. She shows psychopathic tendencies, but this is due to her mistreatment at the hands of her parents. She actually suffers from an attachment disorder – a disorder that comes about when children such as Beth face abuse early in life. After therapy and a great deal of love, she is now a perfectly healthy adult that works tirelessly to help others. For those who want to learn more about the importance of love in a child’s early years, I suggest that you take a look at Harlow’s monkey experiments. Very similar.
video link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDVaiwzU8yc&feature=emb_logo
Read the textbox on page 99 of your book and then watch the following interview with Eric’s mom.
textbox on page 99
Biosocial Theories
Contemporary biological theories on crime are considered biosocial theories because they integrate biological, psychological, and social causes.21 These theories have come a long way from some of the early classical and biological theories, offering a more nuanced approach to the effects of biology, psychology, and environment on juvenile behavior. A variety of theories focus on this integration. For example, some researchers focus on neurological deficits such as natural developmental delays in the prefrontal cortex, given that the frontal lobes do not fully develop until late adolescence. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for planning and reflecting on ones actions. This research suggests that one of the reasons for the impulsivity of children is that their brains are not fully developed. These natural developmental delays have an effect on intelligence, verbal development, and attentiveness and focus. Research has linked these delays to poor self-regulation of emotions and behaviors, including delinquency.22 Given these developmental delays, Andrews and Bonta ask, If brain capacity and function is still developing, with frontal lobes developing last, can we hold adolescents responsible for uninhibited, anti-social behavior?23
Another area of research has examined the effect of diet on the likelihood of delinquency.24 This research has found an effect on several areas in a childs life depending on the type of diet he or she has. Most of this research suggests that diet has an indirect effect on delinquency. In other words, diet affects such things as depression, hyperactivity, or cognitive problems that then might impact the likelihood to engage in delinquency. Diets that are healthy in polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals such as zinc and iron, and vitamins such as folate, B vitamins, and antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, are linked to lower levels of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, schizophrenia, and dementia.
There has also been research on the effect of hormones, specifically testosterone, on delinquent behavior. Testosterone is secreted by both males and females, but in much larger doses by males. Some believe that testosterone is the reason why males are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior than females. It is assumed to be partly responsible for a greater likelihood of aggressive and delinquent behavior in males.25 However, while testosterone has been linked to aggressive behavior in animals, the research conducted on humans is much less conclusive.26 Research examining the effect of social factors on the effect of testosterone on aggressive or delinquent behavior has found that social class and environmental conditions may be mediating factors.27
Finally, of particular interest recently is the research that links toxins such as lead and manganese to the likelihood of delinquency and crime (see the In the News textbox). This research has found that exposure to high levels of lead is linked to a greater chance of delinquent and criminal behavior. This is especially important for our discussions for two reasons. First, children are much more vulnerable to excessive toxins because they cannot physically fight the exposure as well as adults, and it is likely that they are more exposed (e.g., if there is lead in household paint, kids are more exposed because they rub up against walls and are more likely to come into contact with paint chips). Second, it is more likely that children of color and poor children will be exposed to such toxins because they are more likely to be exposed to a crumbling infrastructure or homes that have not been renovated.28
video link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxeDVb92Zss&feature=emb_logo
Assignment:
After watching the two videos and reading the textbox on page 99, compare and contrast the Beth and Eric. How should juvenile justice policy address these types of problems?
Answer all aspects of the prompt fully, with no less than 3 full paragraphs. In-text citations are required and must be in APA format, but no reference page is required, unless you use a source beyond the videos and the text book.
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