Juvenile Delinquency Chapter 1 Flashcards

Key Terms and Definitions

• Poverty: Approximately 37 million Americans live in poverty, with 13 million being children.
• Ego Identity: Formed when individuals, according to Erik Erikson, develop a clear understanding of themselves and their values.
• Role Diffusion: Erik Erikson describes this as youth spreading themselves too thin, leading to uncertainty and dependence on external figures for identity.
• At-Risk Youths: Refers to young individuals vulnerable to negative outcomes like school failure and substance abuse.
• Juvenile Delinquency: Engaging in illegal activities by minors who fall below a specific statutory age.
• Chronic Juvenile Offenders: A small group, encompassing about 6% of youth, who have been arrested four or more times and tend to continue criminal behavior into adulthood.
• Juvenile Justice System: Comprises law enforcement, courts, and correctional agencies focused on rehabilitating youthful offenders.
• Paternalistic Family: A family dynamic where the father has complete control and authority over family decisions.
• Poor Laws: English statutes allowing courts to appoint overseers for underprivileged children, often placing them into servitude.
• Chancery Courts: Established in 15th-century England to oversee the welfare of highborn minor orphans.

Legal and Institutional Concepts

• Parens Patriae: The state's authority to act in the best interests of children, providing care similar to that of a parent.
• Child Savers: 19th-century reformers focused on creating programs for troubled youth, sometimes criticized for prioritizing control over welfare.
• Delinquent: A juvenile formally adjudicated for committing a delinquent act.
• Best Interest of the Child: A philosophy advocating for state intervention in the care and treatment of wayward children.
• Need for Treatment: Sentencing for juveniles based on their treatment needs rather than the severity of their offenses.
• Waiver: The process of transferring serious juvenile cases to adult courts for prosecution.

Youth Statistics and Issues

• Status Offense: Actions illegal solely due to the offender's age.
• Wayward Minors: Historical term for youth violating laws due to their minor status.
• Youth Under 18: Defined as children in various legal contexts.

Agencies and Legislative Milestones

• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP): US Justice Department branch responsible for national juvenile justice policy and funding.
• 35% of Adolescents: Meet current physical activity recommendations.
• 10% of Youths: Approximately 7.5 million children lack health insurance.
• Family Problems: Issues like family dissolution impact American youth significantly.
• 70% of Fourth Graders: Not reading at grade level, indicating educational challenges.

Historical Context

• Cyberbullying: Defined as deliberate harm to others through electronic mediums.
• Downside of Parens Patriae: Limited procedural protections for juveniles, viewed as barriers to rehabilitation.
• Poor Laws (1536): Mandated the placement of children as servants in affluent households.
• Elizabeth Poor Laws (1601): Established a system to care for impoverished children through church wardens.
• Reform Schools: Characterized by poor conditions, harsh discipline, and segregation.
• Children's Aid Society (1853): Aimed to rescue children from harsh conditions and provide shelter.
• Orphan Trains: An initiative placing neglected children on farms in the West for care and homes.
• The Illinois Juvenile Court Act (1899): Established distinctions between neglected and delinquent children.
• Juvenile Courts: By 1925, created in every state to address juvenile offenses.
• U.S. Children's Bureau (1912): The first federal agency dedicated to child welfare.
• Family Court System: Established in New York in 1962 for handling family-related cases.
• Status Offenders: Youth can be subject to state authority for actions not considered illegal for adults.
• Juvenile Justice Delinquency Act (1974): Allowed grant distribution to states developing alternative juvenile procedures.