Question 1

What are the most offenses committed by juveniles?

Accepted Answer

According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the most common offenses committed by juveniles are minor property offenses (such as theft) and public order offenses (such as disorderly conduct).

Question 2

What year was the height of the juvenile murder epidemic and 3,790 juveniles were arrested for homicide?

Accepted Answer

According to FBI statistics, the height of the juvenile murder epidemic was in 1993, when 3,790 juveniles were arrested for homicide.

Question 3

What is the school-to-prison pipeline?

Accepted Answer

The school-to-prison pipeline is the trend of criminalizing minor offenses that occur in schools, often leading to the disproportionate punishment and eventual incarceration of students, particularly those from marginalized communities. The pipeline is the result of policies and practices that prioritize punishment over intervention and support.

Question 4

What are zero tolerance school policies?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are zero tolerance school policies?
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Question 5

Juvenile court data show an increasing involvement of girls in crime. How do we account for this?

Accepted Answer

The criminalization of minor "acting out" behaviors has led to more girls being involved in the juvenile justice system, as behaviors that were previously overlooked or handled informally are now being processed through the courts.

Question 6

Which group of juveniles are most vulnerable to zero tolerance school practices?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which group of juveniles are most vulnerable...

Question 7

The significance of the Supreme Court rulings Roper v. Simons (2005), Graham v. Florida (2010), Miller v. Alabama (2012), and Montgomery v. Louisiana (2016) is they ruled that

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court rulings of Roper v. Simons, Graham v. Florida, Miller v. Alabama, and Montgomery v. Louisiana all recognize that adolescents are different than adults because of their developing brains. The Court has concluded that youth are less culpable than adults and therefore should not be punished as severely. These rulings prohibit harsh sentencing practices, such as the death penalty and life without parole, for juveniles convicted of serious crimes. Instead, they require that juvenile offenders be given individualized treatment that takes into account their unique status as developing individuals.

Question 8

Which of the models for reducing youth crime emphasizes the labeling theory?

Accepted Answer

The noninterventionist model emphasizes the labeling theory, which suggests that labeling individuals as criminals can lead to further criminal behavior by reinforcing a criminal identity. This model advocates for minimizing the involvement of the criminal justice system in the lives of youths to avoid such labeling.

Question 9

Which of the models for reducing youth crime has been associated with the deinstitutionalization of status offenders?

Accepted Answer

The noninterventionist model has been associated with the deinstitutionalization of status offenders, as this model emphasizes keeping juveniles out of the justice system and instead addressing their needs through informal means such as counseling and community programs. This approach is in contrast to the rehabilitative model which emphasizes treating and rehabilitating individuals within the justice system, the crime control model which emphasizes punishment and deterrence, and the due process model which emphasizes protecting the legal rights of juveniles.

Question 10

Almost every jurisdiction made it easier to transfer juveniles to adult court

Accepted Answer

The main reason for making it easier to transfer juveniles to adult court was to secure more serious sanctions for their crimes. This was seen as a way to deter them from continuing a life of crime and to protect society from their criminal behavior. While due process protections for juveniles were not always as strong as for adults, this was not the main reason for the transfer process. Representation for juveniles in both juvenile and adult court can vary depending on the jurisdiction, but this was not the main factor driving the transfer process.

Question 11

Serious juvenile crime has decreased since the 1980s.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Serious juvenile crime has decreased since the...

Question 12

While inner city youths can get caught up in zero tolerance policies, suburban youths are treated with maximum tolerance.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that zero tolerance policies are more likely to be enforced in urban areas, leading to higher rates of suspension, expulsion, and involvement with the criminal justice system for minority students. Meanwhile, students in suburban areas are often given more leniency and second chances.

Question 13

Minority youths are disproportionately represented in suspensions, expulsions, and arrests in schools.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that minority youths, especially Black and Hispanic students, are more likely to receive harsh disciplinary measures in schools such as suspensions, expulsions, and arrests compared to their white peers. This is often due to implicit bias and systemic racism in educational systems.

Question 14

Despite the fact that most youths engage in minor offenses, our perceptions about juvenile crime generally come from television.

Accepted Answer

Most people's perceptions about juvenile crime come from the media, including television, which tends to focus on more sensational or extreme cases rather than typical minor offenses.

Question 15

There is no tension between acting in the "best interests of the child" and upholding public safety.

Accepted Answer

Acting in the "best interests of the child" can sometimes conflict with public safety concerns, as decisions that prioritize an individual child's welfare might not align with broader public safety measures, leading to tension between these two objectives.

Question 16

A growing body of research has demonstrated that there is no biological basis to risky, destructive, and delinquent behaviors.

Accepted Answer

While there is no gene that directly codes for risky, destructive, and delinquent behaviors, there are biological factors such as hormones, neurotransmitters, and brain structure that can contribute to these behaviors. However, environmental and social factors also play significant roles.

Question 17

The public believes that the "juveniles in the past committed more frequent and serious crime than current group of juveniles."

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that juvenile crime rates have decreased in recent years, with fewer juvenile arrests and court cases. Additionally, interventions such as diversion programs and restorative justice approaches have been shown to be effective in reducing recidivism among juveniles. Therefore, the belief that past juvenile cohorts committed more frequent and serious crimes than current ones is false.

Question 18

Minority youths may receive fewer opportunities to access rehabilitative programs.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that minority youths, particularly African American and Hispanic youth, are disproportionately represented in the juvenile justice system and may receive fewer opportunities to access rehabilitative programs. This can lead to a cycle of recidivism and perpetuate disparities in the criminal justice system.

Question 19

White youths, for example, are more likely to be placed in smaller and more rehabilitative-oriented facilities than minority youths, who are more apt to be sentenced to programs that place a greater priority on physical programming.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that minority youths are more likely to be sentenced to larger, more punitive facilities that emphasize physical programming, while white youths are more likely to be placed in smaller and more rehabilitative-oriented facilities.

Question 20

A series of Supreme Court decisions in the 1980s and 1990s extended a number of constitutional protections to juvenile defendants.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A series of Supreme Court decisions in...

Quiz 14: Responding to Youth Crime