Course Description
The juvenile justice system, including the measurement of delinquency, contexts of adolescent socialization, and techniques of evaluation research.
Athena Title
Juvenile Delinquency
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in SOCI 3070E, SOCI 3070S
Prerequisite
SOCI 1101 or SOCI 1101E or SOCI 1101H or SOCI 2600 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will understand Supreme Court rulings and technical aspects of the juvenile court that separate it from the adult criminal court.
- Students will understand official statistics, self-report data, and victimization data in trying to grapple with trends in juvenile misconduct.
- Students will understand the theories of delinquency ranging from the biological to the sociological.
- Students will understand the treatment and prevention of delinquency with an emphasis on institutionalization and probation.
- Students will understand the evaluation of treatment programs currently being used by the juvenile courts.
- Students will be asked to demonstrate their mastery of the course content in written work that is appropriate for an academic context.
- Students will be asked to demonstrate their mastery of the course content in speech that is appropriate for an academic context.
Topical Outline
- 1. The nature of crime in society
The concept of deviance
The definition of juvenile delinquency
- 2. The invention of delinquency
The discovery of childhood and adolescence
Creation of the first juvenile court
Juvenile court process
Due process of law considerations
- 3. Official image of delinquent behavior
- 4. Alternative images of delinquency
Self-reports
Victimization surveys
- 5. Explanations of delinquency:
Biological and psychological schools
Sociological schools of thought
- 6. Contexts for adolescent socialization
Family
School
Friends
Media
Religion
- 7. Deterrence and labeling
- 8. Juvenile imprisonment
- 9. New approaches to juvenile treatment
- 10. Prevention programs
