SOC 221 Juvenile Delinquency

Lecture Hours: 4
Credits: 4

Examines the nature, extent, causes, reaction, and control of juvenile delinquency in the United States from a sociological frame of reference.

Prerequisite: Placement into WR 115 (or higher), or completion of WR 090 (or higher) with a grade of C or better; or consent of instructor.
Student Learning Outcomes:

Discuss how sociologists study crime and delinquency.
Discuss how the social invention of juvenile delinquency impacts the treatment of juvenile deviant behavior.
Describe delinquency rates and trends over time.
Identify, explain, and illustrate the major theories of crime and delinquency.
Explain variations in delinquency by race, class, gender, and place.
Assess the level of empirical support for the major theories of delinquency.
Identify approaches and policies that are effective in minimizing delinquency.

Statewide General Education Outcomes:

Apply analytical skills to social phenomena in order to understand human behavior.
Apply knowledge and experience to foster personal growth and better appreciate the diverse social world in which we live.

Content Outline

The Sociological Study of Delinquency, Crime, and Deviance
The Nature and Extent of Delinquency
- The socio-historical discovery of childhood
- The social construction of juvenile delinquency
- Defining delinquency
- Measurement and data sources
- The extent of delinquency
- Social location and delinquency
Theories of Causation
- The role of theory in social science
- Strain theory
- Social learning theory
- Control theory
- Labeling theory
- Conflict and radical criminology
- Rational choice models
General Patterns of Offending
- Variation of offending throughout the life course
- Situational factors
- Spatial and community variations
- Race and Ethnicity
- Social class
- Gender
- Predicting future crime and delinquency
Empirical Explanations of Delinquency
- The role of data and theory in the etiology of delinquency
- Individual traits
- The family
- Schools
- Delinquent peers
- Gangs
- Guns
- Drugs
- The role of mass media
- Religion and religiosity
- Employment
- The possibility of a general theory of delinquency
Control and Prevention
- Policy evaluation
- The police
- Juvenile courts and corrections
- Discrimination and the juvenile justice system
- Deterrence and incapacitation
- Prevention and rehabilitation
- Sociologically-informed policy