Female Delinquency Essay Example For Students

Female Delinquency Essay One of the most important issues in crime today is Juvenile Delinquency. It istoo often the cause that people see it as something ?new? and a problem that needsto be dealt with by todays society. Female delinquency is and has been rapidlyincreasing in the past few years. In Girls, Delinquency, and Juvenile Justice, Lind andShelden give an overview of juvenile delinquency among females. To fullyunderstand the question of who, where, when, how, and why females aredelinquent, it is necessary to first understand the nature of female delinquency. To comprehend the entire study of female delinquency, it is also imperative tobecome acquainted with the theories why females commit such delinquencies andcrimes. Also, to understand the way of life and the delinquent acts of females. Females are also involved in the subculture of gangs. And what happens when thesefemales become part of the juvenile justice system? When females are arrested fortheir involvement of delinquent acts they enter the j ustice system, but what are thecourts doing to endure that these young women receive the appropriate sentencing? If sent to a detention center exactly where are they going and what goes on there?Lind and Shelden interviewed a sample of incarcerated females about theirexperience as female delinquents. An overview of the study of female delinquencywill be discussed using the works of Lind and Shelden as a secondary source data andit will conclude whether females that have been part of the justice system are nowintegrated into our society as law-abiding citizens. Society often overlooks at the reasons why young females commit crimes anddelinquent acts. It is necessary that we take a look at the nature of femaledelinquency to better understand what has driven these young women to commitdelinquent acts. The majority of girls that become delinquent are shaped byproblems that they face in todays society. Such problems include, little power givento women, few jobs options, and fewer civil r ights in comparison to men, and not tomention the root of the problem which in most cases is their home. The majority ofthese females come from low-income and broken homes where they are often raisedby a single parent. The most common type of crimes committed by female delinquents islarceny-theft, better known as ?shoplifting.? According to Morris, females are moreoften detected by store personnel because it is excepted that women tend to shopliftmore than men, and therefore are watched more closely. An explanation forshoplifting (Morris) is a ?subconscious motives (kleptomania), depression or poverty. Temptation is another reason why girls shoplift, they believe that popularity is tiedwith physical appearance and the participation in fashion and fads. This is especiallytrue in teenage girls from poor families because these teens feel that they need to bepart of the teenage subculture in order to fit in at school and among their peers. The status offenses that are most committed by young females are runningaway and curfew violations, but with these minor acts come major consequenceswhich sometimes it includes prostitution. Statistics estimate that over one millionyouths under the age of eighteen run away from homes each year and an estimatedmillion leave ?by mutual consent? or are ?throwaways? (Roberts, 1987:xi). Most ofthe youths that run away remain within ten miles from home and at leastsixty-percent return home within three days. Some of the reasons why these femalesleave their home is in flight from sexual victimization that occurs in the home. Otherrun away girls leave their home because they are rebellious and are often drop-outsthat tend to be angry and they are alienated from their parents. An estimated600,000 prostitute girls are under the age of sixteen and they majority of these girlshave been run aways. The abuse of these girls often continues from abusive pimpsand customers . Beat Poets EssayHaving read Girls, Delinquency, and Juvenile Justice I found it very informativein the study of female delinquency and I was able to link it to the previous studies ofjuvenile delinquency. Many strengths were found throughout the book, among theminclude the clear comparison of male to female delinquency and the overview of howfemales are treated when they become part of the justice system (very unfairly). Oneweakness I would like to critique is how males were also the ?scapegoats? of thestudies, yes it is a fact that males do commit more crimes that females, but I thinkthere needs to be more research on the theories on female delinquency. This bookgives a great contribution on the study of juvenile delinquency it clearly surveys all thenecessary concepts needed to fully understand female juvenile delinquency. Oneitem I would like to suggest to possible later editions is that the authors have abibiograhphy at the end of the book instead of having the constant interru ptions ofciting in between the sentences and paragraphs. Sociology Essays