Juvenile Justice, Essay Example

Influence of popular culture on juvenile behaviors

Research done on causes of juvenile delinquency indicates that popular culture has a very significant role to play in juvenile misbehavior. Continued use of video games, televisions and films and participation in music erodes the norms as well as the values in youths and may contribute to their violent behavior. Once they develop violent behavior, the next course of action is delinquency since violent nature that they develop makes them to learn that violence is acceptable in the society (Detrick, Abel, Berger, Delon & Meek, 2008).

Causation and correlation

Causation is different from correlation due the degree as well as the strength of relationship between two issues whose causal relationship can be established. Saying that one thing is a cause of the other implies a direct link between it and the results and causation is an implication than any action is associated with predictable action. It is therefore not in order to attribute popular culture including movies and video games as being the cause of juveniles in committing delinquent acts

Contribution of video games, movies, television, and music to delinquency

Occasionally, music, video games, TV and movies are used to carry all the blames of delinquency. This is based on the argument that popular entertainment is a means of glamorous interpretation to the destructive lifestyles that are associated with juvenile delinquency including irresponsible sexual behaviors, defying parental authority and drug abuse among others. The lifestyles depicted by music, video games, TV and movies attract the interest of the teenagers and there is a possibility that majority of the teenagers will imitate these lifestyles. Therefore, any form of misbehavior that will be developed among the teenagers must be blamed on these forms of popular culture (Knupher, 2001).

Other variables besides pop culture that lead to juvenile’s delinquent behavior

Delinquent behavior among the teenagers can also be attributed to poor state of economy and lack of engaging youths actively in productive activities. If the economy is poor and most of the youths do not have means of actively engaging their lives, then there is a high possibility that the rate of clime will definitely escalate.

References

Detrick, S., Abel, G., Berger, M., Delon, A., & Meek, R. (2008). Violence against children in conflict with the law.

Knupher, A. M., (2001). Reform and Resistance: Gender, Delinquency, and America’s First Juvenile Court