CJS 240 Week 4 Individual Assignment Gender and Family

CJS 240 Week 4 Individual Assignment Gender and Family

Ch. 6 & 7 discuss the impact gender and family can have on delinquency. In addition, you have read briefly about gender and the juvenile justice system.

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in APA format answering the following questions:

How does gender affect delinquency?
What are some current explanations for gender differences?o How does family affect delinquency?
How does family makeup affect delinquency?
How does family behavior impact delinquency?
Are delinquent females treated differently by members of the juvenile justice system?
Are they treated unfairly?
Do they benefit from being female? Why or why not?
Post your paper as a Microsoft® Word attachment.

Sample Answer 

The aspects of gender and family may profoundly influence juvenile delinquents and delinquent activity patterns. It is thought that females are often viewed and treated differently by the society and by the juvenile justice system. There are significant concerns whether females are treated fairly by the justice system and whether or not the differences between female and male rates of delinquency in the juvenile justice system are unavoidable. Factors such as family, home environment, biological influences, and socialization are all theorized to contribute to the persisting gap between male and female delinquents and the tendencies of both sexes to migrate towards different offense patterns. Overall, the family environment and gender of a juvenile can very much impact their voyage into delinquency. Interest in studying female delinquents is increasing because while female delinquents remain smaller in number than the males, it is growing at a faster rate (Siegel & Welsh, 2005). According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), the “typical female entering the juvenile justice system is between the ages of 14 and 16, is from a minority community, lives in a poor neighborhood with a high crime rate, and has been the victim of physical, sexual, and/or emotional abuse” (Miazad, 2002, p. 1). There are many current explanations for the differences between male and female delinquent activity rates and behavior. One theory is that biological differences between males and females such as brain development and hormones are critical to explaining the inherent differences in delinquent behavior between the sexes. Another key interest area is how differences in socialization and psychological development lead to different male and female behaviors. For example, it is theorized that males are encouraged to operate on their own in childhood whereas females are often supervised more closely, and taught to value relationships over independence……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….