Chapter Two: Measurement & Nature of Delinquency Flashcards Preview

Sociology 231: Juvenile Delinquency > Chapter Two: Measurement & Nature of Delinquency > Flashcards

Flashcards in Chapter Two: Measurement & Nature of Delinquency Deck (12)
Loading flashcards...
1
Q

Uniform Crime Report

A

(AKA: UCR) FBI’s program for compiling data about crimes committed in the U.S.
Data of offenses known to police & statistics about persons arrested
Part 1 Crimes: violent & serious crimes
Part 2 Crimes: nonviolent crimes

2
Q

Uniform Crime Report Findings

A

Youth crime is widespread in the U.S.
Juveniles most likely to be arrested for: breaking curfew, disorderly conduct, liquor/drug abuse violations, vandalism, larceny-theft, runaway,
Murder rates peaked in 1993 and declined ever since.
Drug arrests have overall increased: rate for boys has decreased, rate for girls has increased
Violent crime has decreased since 2001

3
Q

Juvenile Court Statistics

A

Annual statistics about the number of youth appearing before the juvenile court each year
Released by the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
Case: a youth processed by a juvenile court on a new referral regardless of how many law violations (s)he may have

4
Q

Juvenile Court Statistics Findings

A

The number of youth coming before the courts increased from 1960s through 1980s, and then leveled off

5
Q

Self-Report Crime Surveys

A

Studies that ask selected subjects to report on whether or not they have committed crime

6
Q

Self-Report FIndings

A

Most youth have engaged in some form of delinquency at some time in their lives
Female delinquency is more prevalent and more similar to male delinquency than official arrest statistics suggest
Suggests more youth crime than recorded by arrest and court reports
Whites & AA commit crimes at around the same rate, but AA more likely to come in contact with the criminal justice system

7
Q

Gender’s Relation to Delinquency

A

Males more significantly delinquent than females
Girls and boys have different pathways to delinquency
Abused & neglected 2x more likely to be arrested as juveniles than boys
Violent girls more likely to have been physically & sexually abused

8
Q

Race/Ethnicity’s Relation to Delinquency

A

Racial minorities are disproportionately represented in arrest statistics because of institutionalized racism and racial profiling

9
Q

Peer Group’s Relation to Delinquency

A

Delinquent behavior occurs in groups

Delinquency in groups begins delinquent behavior, and delinquency alone follows later

10
Q

Age of Onset

A

the age at which a child begins to commit delinquent acts

11
Q

Escalation of Offenses

A

an increase in the frequency and severity of an individual’s offenses

12
Q

Chronic Youth Offender

A

a juvenile who engages repeatedly in delinquent behavior