JUVENILE DELINQUENCY

ABSTRACT: The article on juvenile delinquency has three major objectives: First, it defines delinquency and
discusses its measurement and extent. Second, it re views theory and risk factor data on causes of delinquency.
Third, it discusses current trends in juvenile justice intervention and delinquency prevention, in cluding social
worker involvement.

KEY WORDS: delinquency; conduct disorder; juvenile justice; status offender

Juvenile delinquency refers to behavior that violates the law by persons who are minors, generally under age 18
(Agnew, 2005; Springer, 2006). The FBI, which collects information on crime annually from police data, classifies
all offenses into Part 1 or "index" of fenses, which include serious violent or property crimes such as robbery and
arson, and Part 2 offenses, which include some status offenses-acts that are only illegal for people with the status of
juveniles (U .S. Department of Justice, 2006 online). Status offenses in the Part 2 category include running away,
violating curfew, and underage drinking. Other status offenses such as incorrigibility and truancy are nonindex
offenses that are not part of police reports to the FBI (Agnew, 2005). Status offenders are not now classified as
delinquents in most states but, rather, as persons in need of supervision (PINS); yet status offenses are still illegal,
and the term "delinquency" is used to refer to both status and other offenses by juveniles.

The juvenile justice system, including special courts for juveniles, came into being at the end of the 19th century to
handle offenses by developmen tally immature young persons with a less adversarial and less punitive system and
with more concern for rehabilit ation (Agnew, 2005; Siegel, Welsh, & Senna, 2006). The Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Act of 1974 established many changes in the juvenile just ice system, including deinstitutionalization
of status offenders, and created the Office for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), which
continues to provide national leadership for the current juvenile justice system.

Behavior that violates the law can also be a compo nent of conduct disorder, a clinical mental health disorder
involving a pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or societal norms or rules are violated (Henggeler
& Sheidow, 2003; Springer, 2006). Whereas delinquency can involve a single act, conduct disorder involves a
pattern of antisocial behavior over time. However, in practice there is a great deal of

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overlap in the research literatures. Societal reactions to delinquency and conduct problems have changed over time,
and debate continues about whether antisocial adolescents are responsible for their own behavior (and thus need
control and punishment, like adults), or are subject to circumstances, including mental health disorders, for which
they need treatment (Hirschfield et al., 2006; Mears Daniel, Hay, Gertz, & Mancini, 2007). Mental health disorders
other than conduct disorder are quite prevalent among juvenile offenders, especially those in detention. Common co
occurring problems include attention deficit hyperac tivity disorder (ADHD) and substance abuse disorders.
Internalizing probl ems such as anxiety, trauma, and depression are also disproportionately present among
delinquents compared to nondelinquents (Cocozza & Skowyra, 2000; Hirschfield et al., 2006).