Juvenile Delinquency 9th Edition Thompson Bynum Test Bank

Juvenile Delinquency 9th Edition Thompson Bynum

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 INSTRUCTOR'S RESOURCE MANUAL—CHAPTER SEVEN
SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY:
MATURATION/LIFE-COURSE, RATIONAL CHOICE/DETERRENCE, AND
FEMINIST THEORIES

CHAPTER OVERVIEW/SUMMARY
This chapter combines various approaches and specific theories and concepts to shed a
great deal of light on the social problem of juvenile delinquency. Further attempting to
go beyond the limitations of the biological and psychological approaches, and evaluate
the complexity of this social phenomenon. As scholars continue their quest for a general
theory that may fully explain the causes of juvenile delinquency today, the role of female
delinquency and aim at solutions to this serious social problem.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Examine short-term hedonism (e.g., delinquent behavior for pleasure) as an
understudied motivation for juvenile crime and as a possible contributing factor to new
theoretical formulations.
2. Understand and explain Maturation Theory and Life Course Theories and how they fit
into a sociological framework for explaining juvenile delinquency.
3. Explain and link Rational Choice Theory and Deterrence Theory as contemporary
throwbacks to the original assumptions of full personal responsibility for illegal behavior
and strong punitive response from society that undergirded the 18th-century Classical
School of Criminological Thought.
4. Summarize some of the differences between male and female delinquency, and outline
some of the contributions of feminist theories to the explanation of juvenile delinquency.
5. Comprehend the potential and analytical direction of newly emerging integrated
theories that seek to bring together and build on overlapping causal variables from older
theories established by diverse and often conflicting perspectives and disciplines.
6. Look to the future as scholars continue their quest for a general theory (or grand
theory) that would fully explain the causes of juvenile delinquency and thus open
the door to an ultimate solution to this serious social problem.

LECTURE OUTLINE

I. INTRODUCTION (p. 161)

In this chapter, we present contemporary sociological theories such as Hedonism,
Maturation Theory, while also looking back at the Classical School of Criminological
Thought of Rational Choice, and Deterrence Theory. Then evaluate delinquency theories
that can explain differences between male and female delinquency and the role of
Feminism Theories.

II. HEDONISM THEORY (pp. 162-166)

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Hedonism theory focuses on an aspect of deviance not previously addressed, such as the
allurement and pleasure associated with criminal deviance and the role of the videotaping
the acts and posting them on the internet for others to enjoy as entertainment.

A. In 1931, Shaw and McKay first observed the pleasure aspect experienced by
youngsters participating in illegal activities. Jack Katz, in Seductions of Crime:
Moral and Sensual Attractions of Doing Evil (1996) contends that criminal
behavior cannot be fully understood without grasping how it is experienced by the
actor and its creative appeal.

B. During interviews of youthful gang members in California, comments alluding to

the unparalleled adrenalin rush and emotional high was found to be connected to
those risky behaviors. (Bynum, 1996)

C. Some scholars contend that the hedonistic aspects of misconduct are already
incorporated in existing social learning and cultural transmission theories, as well
as implicit in elements of psychogenic approach. Most sociological theories do
overlap with others, so the notion that “crime is fun” is at least helpful to
understand why some youths say they committed a crime “just for the hell of it.”

D. Research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at the University
of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester indicate criminal influences can be
traced to a normal state of the adolescent’s brain beginning around age 11. The
brain undergoes major reorganization in an area associated with social behavior
and impulse control. Therefore the juvenile brain is not yet mature to handle
social pressure, instinctual urges, and other stresses the way adults do. With
continued investigation, this may help explain the wild and delinquent conduct of
many youths; and why a vast majority of them with later abandon those behaviors
as they mature into adulthood.

E. There is much evidence that the media downplays juvenile delinquency and
makes it seem more fun and entertaining than dangerous. Research shows that this
type of real-life portrayal of aggression and violence is more difficult for children
and adolescents to separate from reality. Techno media such as video games and
computer sites provide a venue for stealing cars, robbing banks and shooting
people for fun and entertainment. This has been associated with stronger risk
factor for violent criminality than watching television.

III. MATURATION AND LIFE COURSE THEORIES P. 166-168

Official and unofficial crime data indicated that most youths abandon their crime, as they
mature resulting in spontaneous remission or “aging out” that eventually eliminates their
involvement in law violating behavior.

A. Law violation occurs most frequently among those aged 15 to mid-20’s and then
begins to decline again. Robert Sampson and John Laub in their study Crime in

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 the Making (1993) found that delinquents who reform do so because they get
attached to a structured social institution such as pathways and turning points.

B. Terrie Moffitt (1993, 2003) used life-course theory to distinguish between life-
course persistent offenders who engage in antisocial behaviors at an early age and
persist throughout their life course. And adolescence-limited offenders who
commit some form of delinquency during their adolescent years but usually do
not go on to commit more serious offenses as adults.

C. The Maturation Theory and Life-Course Theory warrant further study as these
explanations have serious policy implications for law enforcement, courts, and
corrections.

IV. RATIONAL CHOICE THEORY/DETERRENCE THEORY (p.168-171)

Rational choice theory takes the position that youths usually do not access logical
decision-making process that weighs the potential benefits and costs before acting on the
delinquent impulse and opportunity.
A. The Rational Choice Theory parallels the position of the Classical School of
Criminological Thought, that preliminary thought and evaluation places
responsibility and accountability more directly on the offender.

B. Specific deterrence refers to punishments that discourage and individual from

committing similar acts in the future, while general deterrence discourages others
from committing similar acts. Segment of the public support such policies of “get
tough” treatment against offenders, but others believe this is an overgeneralized
and oversimplified cause and effect to criminal behaviors.

C. Rational and Deterrence theories appeal to common sense, but they seem to
oversimplify the motivational process into dividing dichotomy between good and
bad, or right and wrong decisions.

D. Rational Choice Theory is limited by the fact that most of its support is based on
studies of patterns or criminal activities in adults, not juveniles. It may be most
useful in explaining the causes of some delinquency when combined with
established sociological theories that acknowledge the impact of situational
factors.

V. FEMALE DELINQUENCY (p.171-177)

Although males dominate crime categories, female delinquency has increased
dramatically over the past few decades. Theories have not been developed specifically to
explain female delinquency. Therefore scholars are turning their attention to these trends
in hopes of revising or developing new theories of explanation.

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 A. Even today, many psychological theories of personality development are laden
with sex and gender stereotypes. Male delinquency explains how pressure on
males to achieve societal goals created social strain that led to delinquency. While
female socialization emphasized passivity, cooperation, nurturing, and
submissiveness, traits less likely to get girls in trouble with the law. Further,
social control theories emphasize a strong social bond, as insulators against
delinquency for girls.
B. In the Odd Girl Out, Rachel Simmons (2002) points out that emphasis on
relations with others often leads girls to be nice in public, but mean in private.
She identified three types of aggression common to adolescent girls.

C. Labeling theory’s explanations to some female deviant behaviors.

D. Feminist theories of delinquency use an intersection of race, class and gender to

assess crime and delinquency.

E. Freda Adler uses the liberation hypothesis (1975) to explain that in the past there
were rigid gender roles, so this provided fewer opportunities to engage in crimes.
But now gender equity means more girls and women can have equal opportunities
to violate laws.

VI. BACK TO THE FUTURE: INTEGRATIVE THEORIES AND PROSPECTS FOR

THEORY BUILDING (p. 178-181)
There has been integration and unification of theoretical concepts and contributions from
a broad spectrum of approaches into one overarching explanation of juvenile
delinquency. However, it is unlikely that any one theory could explain the wide array of
juvenile offenses ranging from status offenses such as running away and truancy to
violent offenses like murder or rape.
A. Gottfredson and Hirschi’s (1990) General Theory of Crime and Delinquency
contend that juvenile and adult offenders lack “self control” mainly as a result of
faulty socialization by the family and school.

B. Delbert Elliott and David Huizinga (1985) partially integrated traditional strain,
social control and social learning theories into a synthesized perspective to
account for delinquency and drug use. They postulated that involvement with and
commitment to delinquent peers is the most proximate cause of delinquency and
drug use and mediates the influence of weak bonding to parents, school, and
conventional norms.

C. Charles Tittle (1995) developed the Control Balance Theory where a youth has
control over oneself and over others, in relation to the control others have over
him or her. Therefore, if a youth has a deficit balance of control, he or she will act
in a way to gain greater control.

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 D. Alan Booth and D. Wayne Osgood (1993) turned their attention to the influence
of varying levels of male hormone, testosterone, in contributing to antisocial
behavior in a large sample of men.

RECOMMENDED CLASS EXERCISES

1. Ask students to comment on television shows that might portray young teen
characters that are aggressive, violent or involved in illegal activities. Ask students if
they believe these characters can influence others to behave in similar ways during
adolescence. Have them discuss solutions to reduce the impact of short term
hedonism.
2. Explain the differences between life-course persistent offenders and adolescence-
limited offenders and which of the two would impact law enforcement or the justice
system.
3. Identify criticisms of Rational Choice Theory in explaining juvenile delinquency.
4. Ask students to explain variables and/or turning points that can impact juveniles to
reduce and/or stop their criminal behaviors.
5. Summarize why deviance theories may not be equally applied to male and female
delinquency. Identify two explanations to female delinquency, as it relates to recent
increases in criminal behavior.

A PERSONAL WORD FOR THE FELLOW INSTRUCTOR

Coming to the last chapter on theories of causation, we seem to enter a somewhat
controversial area – where the blame seems to lie with the persons who label the youth as
delinquent, rather than with the youth himself or herself. It is unlikely that any one theory
could explain the wide array of juvenile offenses ranging from status offenses such as
running away, to violent offenses like murder or rape. But the growth of research in this
area show continual effort to more thorough understanding of juvenile delinquency.

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 TEST BANK—CHAPTER SEVEN
SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY:
MATURATION/LIFE-COURSE, RATIONAL CHOICE/DETERRENCE, AND
FEMINIST THEORIES

EXAM QUESTIONS

I. MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. In studying Hedonism and the media, we find that __________.

a. videotaping acts of delinquency increases the concept of fun
b. posting acts on the internet increases the concept of entertainment
c. both a and b * p. 162
d. there is no impact between media and hedonism

2. The author interviewed gang members in California cities and found that the youths
__________.
a. reported feelings of adrenalin rush when committing illegal activities * p. 162
b. emotionally disconnected when engaging in deviant behaviors
c. came from “good families” but made poor choices
d. all of the above

3. Television programming aimed at young adults show patterns of __________.

a. portraying delinquents as dangerous threats to social order
b. real-life delinquent activities as fun and entertaining* p. 165
c. children who are overly anxious about crime
d. programs that are focused on education

4. A strong predictor of aggressive and violent delinquency has been linked to which type
of media?
a. television
b. cartoons
c. video games* p. 166
d. movies

5. One of the longest-standing and most agreed upon facts in studying juvenile
delinquency is that __________ and __________ are related.
a. weather and crime
b. IQ and crime
c. social class and marital status
d. age and crime * p. 167

6. Life-Course offenders are best defined by those who engage in __________.

a. antisocial behaviors at an early age and persist through their entire life * p. 167
b. delinquency during adolescence but do not go on to commit more crimes as adults

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c. criminal behaviors throughout their adult years but were never delinquent as teens
d. criminal behaviors due to mental illness not detected in infancy

7. Rational Choice Theory contends that law-violating behavior occurs when an offender
decides to take a chance violating the law, therefore __________.
a. the responsibility of such choices can be blamed on society
b. the responsibility and accountability is directly on him/her *p. 168
c. the responsibility is on both the individual and society
d. the responsibility for such choices can never be fully understood

8. Jeremy Bentham referred to the process of __________ as a choice in behavior that

maximizes pleasure and minimizes personal pain to committing delinquent behaviors.
a. punishment
b. danger
c. hedonism * p. 168
d. maturation

9. Specific deterrence is best described as discouraging __________.

a. an individual from committing similar acts in the future *p. 169
b. others from committing similar acts
c. individuals who are still in school from committing delinquent acts
d. all of the above apply

10. The general public likes this “get tough” attitude delinquent theory.
a. deterrence theory
b. rational choice theory
c. feminist theory
d. Both A and B *p. 169

11. Rational Choice Theory research findings have been limited because __________.
a. it focuses only on women
b. it focuses only on middle class teenagers
c. it is mainly focused on adults, not juveniles * p. 170
d. it is mainly focused on poor youths

12. Deterrence theories have been ignoring that many youths are handicapped by
dysfunctional __________.
a. biological factors
b. psychological factors
d. socioeconomic factors
d. All of the above * p. 171

13. Status offenses such as running away from home, sexual promiscuity or shoplifting
can be found in statistics on juvenile __________.
a. female delinquency * p. 171
b. male delinquency

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c. equally for both male and female delinquency
d. from middle class status

14. Social learning theories emphasize __________.

a. social bonds
b. socialization by the schools
c. socialization and peer influence * p 172
d. the impact of labeling

15. In her book “Odd Girl Out,” Simmons pointed out that the culture’s socialization of
girls as caretakers teaches them to be valued for __________.
a. their appearance
b. their academic abilities
c. their athletic abilities
d. their relations with others * p 173

16. Which type of aggression was categorized by the intent to damage another person’s
self-esteem or social status, within a group?
a. indirect aggression
b. social aggression * p. 173
c. relational aggression
d. physical aggression

17. Feminist theorists are very interested in the connection between __________.
a. race
b. class
c. gender
d. all of the above * p 174

18. Freda Adler’s hypothesis as to why women have been historically underrepresented
in crime and delinquency is called __________.
a. liberation hypothesis * p. 175
b. gender gap hypythesis
c. maturation hypothesis
d. frustration hypothesis

19. Gilfus and Giordano found that women involved in street crimes quite often
__________.
a. started out in female gangs
b. came from middle class background
c. started out as victims of crimes first * p. 175
d. commit the same crimes as men

20. The chivalry factor in delinquency is best explained by __________.

a. male police officer who are respectful of delinquent women
b. females being treated with more leniency by police

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c. females being suspected less for criminal behavior
d. Both b and c * p. 176

21. The “war on drugs” has caused more __________ to be counted in criminal statistics.
a. men
b. women * p. 177
c. elderly
d. children

22. Early theories of crime focused either too much on individual pathologies or too
much on __________.
a. labeling theories
b. social pathologies * p. 178
c. media impact
d. medical pathologies

23. Social strain theory explains some juvenile delinquency as the __________.
a. perception of blocked opportunities *p. 179
b. the types of people youths associated themselves with
c. levels of attachment with others
d. commitment in school

24. Increases in interdisciplinary approaches to deviant behavior has included the role of
__________.
a. the media
b. heredity
c. sociobiology
d. Both b and c * p. 180

25. Booth and Osgood turned their attention to the influence of __________ in
contributing to antisocial behavior in men.
a. money
b. unemployment
c. levels of male hormones * p. 180
d. age

II. TRUE-FALSE

26. Interviews of youth gang members in California cities showed no connection to

Hedonism in explaining their criminal conduct. True/False (False, p. 162)

27. Programs like Jackass provide warnings to avoid copying unsafe behaviors, yet a
number of youths do imitate what they see on these shows. True or False? (True, p.
163)

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28. Multiple studies indicate that the brain of an adolescent is the same as an adult over
25 years old. True or False. (False, p. 164)

29. Evidence suggests that playing violent video games has more influence on aggression
than watching it on television. True or False (True, p. 166)

30. Spontaneous remission indicates that most youths abandon criminal behavior as they
age and mature. True or False? (True, p. 166)

31. Sampson and Laub described how delinquents reformed when they dropped out of
high school. True or False? (False, p. 167)

32. A life-course persistent offender usually stopped committing crimes when they
became adults. True or False? (False, p. 167)

33. The idea that criminal and delinquent behavior is based on cognitive selection process
by the offenders, is known as the Classical School of Criminological Thought of the
18th-century. True or False? (True, p. 168)

34. Rational Choice and Deterrence Theories are widely supported in the United States
because they appeal to common sense. True or False? (True, p. 169)

35. Female delinquency has decreased in recent years. True or False? (False, p. 171)

III. FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS

36. __________ is an established, general statement that systematically relates concepts

and variables together to explain events or behavior. (Theory, p. 161)

37. Youths refer to the practice of __________ as proof for bragging rights to friends.
(scrapbooking, p. 163)

38. Beginning around age __________, the brain undergoes major reorganization in an
area associated with social behavior and impulse control. (11, p. 164)

39. Research of television programming shows a pattern of characters who play “side-
kick” and use consequences of __________ as harmless and fun. (delinquency, p.
166)

40. Spontaneous remission or __________ ,whereby juveniles at some point reach a level
of maturity where they spontaneously reduce, and eventually eliminate their
involvement in law-violating behavior. (Aging out, p. 166)

41. __________ theory and life-course theories warrant further study as they integrate
biological, psychological and numerous social components to explain delinquent
behavior and conformity. (Maturation, p. 167)

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Juvenile Delinquency 9th Edition Thompson Bynum Test Bank

42. The contention of Rational Choice Theorists is that criminal behavior generally rests
on a foundation of preliminary thought and evaluation by the __________. (offender,
p. 168)
43. In Rational Choice Theory, there is an assumption that responsive and vigorous
__________ should discourage most offenders from repeating their crimes.
(punishment, p. 168)

44. __________ deterrence discourages others from committing similar acts. (General, p.
169)

45. Clinard and Meier state that not everyone makes __________, but some people
choose among more and better options than others. (choices, p. 170)

46. Juvenile delinquency is predominantly a __________ phenomenon. (male, p. 171)

47. __________ is based on biological and physical differences between males and
females. Sex, p. 171)

48. Atavism theory was created by __________ in 1895. (Lombroso, p. 172)

49. __________ aggression are acts that harm others through damage to relationships or
feelings of acceptance, friendship or group inclusion. (Relational, p. 173)

50. __________ theories study, analyze, and explain social phenomena from a gender-
focused perspective. (Feminist, p. 174)

IV. ESSAY QUESTIONS

51. Discuss short term hedonism and give two examples of how the media portrays
delinquency as fun.

52. Explain the concept of Maturation Theory and its role in juvenile delinquency.

53. Discuss why Rational Choice Theory and Deterrence Theory continue to be used as
explanations for juvenile delinquency.

54. Identify criticisms of Rational Choice and Deterrence theories in explaining juvenile
delinquency.

55. Discuss two explanations for the recent increase in female delinquency.

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