Sociological Perspectives on Youth Crime (Essay Sample)

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON YOUTH CRIME
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Introduction
Youth crime has been linked to deviant behavior or non-normative social and behavioral patterns. Explanations of such behavior can be found in many sociological perspectives including functionalism, symbolic interactionism, conflict theory, labeling theory, social disorganization theory, strain theory, and cultural deviance theory. A sociological perspective is a philosophical approach that seeks to understand and explain social phenomena by examining patterns of relationships within societies and subgroups as opposed to individual behavior. A common goal for any sociological perspective is the betterment of society, either through an improvement in people's lives or through structural changes in the society itself. The use of sociological perspectives on youth crime was spurred by the sociological imagination of classical theorists including Weber, Marx, Durkheim, and Mannheim. With a focus on three theories: Conflict Theory, Cultural Deviance Theory, and Social Disorganization Theory, this paper examines how some of these sociological theories can offer an understanding of youth crime.
Sociological Perspective
Conflict Theory
According to conflict theory, societies are made up of different social classes. These social classes struggle against each other to get what they want. Conflict theorists suggest that when one group wins, the other loses power (Dahrendorf, 2022). The wealthy have greater power over society than the working class and poor due to their wealth; however, this does not mean that all rich people are powerful or all poor people powerless. It simply means that there are more wealthy people with power than poor ones. The world view from this perspective is one where everyone struggles for power, but only some succeed. The result is an unequal distribution of resources among members of society. Those with less power, in this case, the working class find themselves at a disadvantage compared to those with more power, the wealthy. Those without power are left struggling for basic needs such as food and shelter while others take advantage of them through exploitative practices like using sweatshops to manufacture clothing cheaply.
Cultural Deviance Theory
Cultural deviance theory suggests that society labels certain behaviors as 'deviant' based on how far these behaviors deviate from cultural norms. Behaviors seen as normal are considered 'conforming' and those seen as abnormal are considered 'non-conforming'. Labeling occurs both consciously and unconsciously, whereby individuals internalize these societal norms until they become part of their identity. When someone violates one of these norms, they are then labeled and punished by society. The world view from this perspective is one where deviation from the norm causes people to fall out of favor with society. This leads to negative consequences such as discrimination, limited opportunity, prejudice, and violence. This is most evident in situations where the rule violation has happened to a majority population, as they are often the ones with the power to punish and discriminate (Williams, 2022). Youth crimes are a major concern for society. At least one in three adolescents are arrested for criminal activity, and the rates of juvenile arrests are rising.
Social Disorganization Theory
The theory states that crime is a result of social disorganization. The lack of a structured society in these areas creates chaos and disorder, which results in higher levels of crime. In other words, the breakdown of traditional institutions such as schools, churches, and families collectively known as informal social controls causes crime to increase because people no longer fear the consequences of their actions. People who do commit crimes feel like they have nothing to lose, so the risk of getting caught does not outweigh the benefits of committing a crime. There are four main types of informal social controls: law enforcement, self-regulation, repression, and surveillance. Societies with low amounts of all four types tend to have high rates of youth crime. Low law enforcement might mean less policing or police corruption, while low self-regulation might mean that there is little or no guidance at school or home. Lack of repression means that people are free to engage in illegal activities, and lack of surveillance means that criminals are more likely to get away with their crimes. All of these factors contribute to the environment that encourages crime.
Sociological Issue
Youth crime is a sociological issue that is prevalent in many areas of the world. As a sociological issue, youth crime has been studied extensively by scholars and experts in this field. Dr. Gordon Barclay defines youth crime as a pattern of delinquent behavior committed by a juvenile offender. It can be argued that youth crime is simply delinquency among younger offenders. Regardless of how the act is defined, many people wonder why youths commit crimes, what should be done about it, and how we can prevent them from reoffending. A theory postulated to answer these questions is risk theory. The idea behind risk theory is that crime rates are determined by four factors: opportunity, potential rewards, obstacles or risks associated with committing the crime, and perception of probable punishment for committing the crime (Gong, 2022).
In recent years studies have been conducted examining the correlation between post-Soviet transition and youth crime. These studies suggest that higher rates of poverty in post-Soviet states lead to higher rates of youth crime. They also demonstrate that family instability and unemployment can lead to youth crime. Risk theory helps us understand the relationship between these two events. For example, high unemployment leads to more poverty which increases opportunities for illegal activities such as theft which then increase the probability of an individual being caught because more police officers are working within those communities (Kraniauskas & Acus, 2020). Juvenile crime has been found to correlate strongly with lower levels of income. The urban youth trauma center claims that youth who come from violent homes may turn to violence themselves when they see violence at home. Another factor contributing to crime among youths is parental supervision. If a parent does not provide adequate supervision for their child, their child may feel like they do not need parental guidance and will act out on their own accord without anyone checking up on them (Abdul-Adil & Suárez, 2022).
In addition, conflict theory asserts that youth crime occurs because of social inequality. There are two parts to this