The Marxist Crime Perspective on Juvenile Delinquency of...

Introduction Countless studies from respected sociologists, criminologists, and psychologists have suggested several theories as to why juvenile delinquency exists. The theory this paper uses to explain juvenile delinquency is the Marxist perspective of the Conflict Theory. What this paper seeks to achieve is to show how this theory is conceptualized, how it causes juvenile delinquency particularly for African Americans, statistics on African American juveniles, and why it could lead to a life of crime as juveniles transition into adulthood. In addition to this, the government will be examined on how it uses the legal system, law enforcement, and certain officials to control most of the population and contribute to this problem. Lastly,†¦show more content†¦Jobs are the means used by the working class to acquire the basic necessary resources to survive--such as food, water, and shelter for their families. According to Quinney (1977), when the lower classes are unable to earn an honest da y’s work or lose their jobs, after a period of time, they finally break down from the pressure and resort to crime to support themselves and their loved ones. Children, seeing the struggles of their parents, then follow in their footsteps leading to juvenile delinquency and later these same children, as adults, become more susceptible to crime. Allen, Latessa, and Ponder (2010) state that a juvenile delinquent is a child that has committed a criminal act that if the same act were committed by an adult, that adult would be punished, but the child is rehabilitated instead. The child’s behavior, under the law, would subject that child to the juvenile court where the child would become a ward of the court, subject to its discretion. Allen et al (2010) propose that there were three categories of juveniles that are: status offenders, who are offenders that violated some regulation that an adult would not be punished for; children, who committed crimes who would be punished if an adult had committed them; and finally, unruly juveniles,Show MoreRelatedEssay on The Marxist Crime Perspective of Conflict Theory1895 Words   |  8 Pagespsychologists have suggested several theories as to why juvenile delinquency exists. The theory this paper uses to explain for juvenile delinquency is the Marxist perspective of the Conflict Th eory. What this paper seeks to achieve is to show how this theory is conceptualized, how it causes juvenile delinquency particularly for African Americans, statistics on African American juveniles, and why it could lead to a life of crime as juveniles transition into adulthood. In addition to this, the governmentRead MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 PagesE SSAYS ON TWENTIETH-C ENTURY H ISTORY In the series Critical Perspectives on the Past, edited by Susan Porter Benson, Stephen Brier, and Roy Rosenzweig Also in this series: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture