Youth Delinquency has been a social issue of concern in communities. It can be defined as deviant behavior or actions considered by the Law, moral, beliefs, folkways of how a community is composed culturally; in people of aged range from 10 to 17 years old following ABS of aged range for youth offenders1. In Australia, offenders' proceeded against police has decreased 6% in 2022-2023 compared with “the previous year to the lowest number recorded since the time series began in 2008–09”2; however, has increased in youth offenders proceeded 6% in a year, 2021-2022 to 2022-2023, being concerning due to it is “the first increase... of youth offending since 2009–10”3. comparing proportional with grown population. The main causes of youth offenders proceeded are cause injury, theft, public order offences and illicit drugs offences, respectively for 2022-20234. In addition, “Over two-thirds (68%) of youth offenders were male (32,624 offenders) ... around double the rate of female youth offenders”5 for 2022-2024, being 2,440 male youth offenders per 100,000 males and 1,208 females' youth offender per 100,000 females6. Following a research made by Lonardo, Giordano and Manning2, based on the quantitative Toledo Adolescent Relationship Study (n=975), where the sample was composed by 51% male and 49% female; 69% white, 24% African American and 7% Latino respondents7 , network affiliation can be influenced on juvenile delinquency, which refers to social environment where individual interact with during their development such as parents, friends, and peers. This network affiliation is part of social connectedness, which refers to a basic psychological need of size and quality of sense of belonging that an individual has in community 8. Reason why study this issue is important with a psychological approach focused on person-in-environment as part of social connectedness and network affiliation, with intention to provide an early intervention.
There are several hypotheses regarding the social connectedness of youth delinquency. Some researchers have focused on network affiliation, evaluating the influence of the peer factor as respond to deviant behavior in the individual. Research based on a quantitative study (Lonardo; Giordan; Longmore, & Manning, 2009)9 , using psychometrics' mensurated of delinquency involving 10-items with a “revised version of the inventory developed by Elliott and Ageton (1980)”10, which was adapted for respondent's assessment of friends, romantic partners delinquency and parents, to the person involved in deviant behavior, focused in currently network affiliation and the respondent behavioral choices regarding to “frequencies of alcohol and drug use, theft (minor and major), breaking and entering, assault and battery, property damage, selling drugs, public drunkenness, and carrying a hidden weapon. The responses for each item”11. This research found that self-involved juveniles in deviant behavior have a high level of involvement with friends and romantic partners, in comparation with parents are more likely linked to a “source of supervision and social control”12. In addition, another research based on peer factor (Weerman and Hoeve, 2019) where peers where the respondents, using a “data from the School Study form the Netherlands Institute for the Study and Law Enforcement, which included a longitudinal survey and the collection of social network data among secondary school students... measurements... time to spent with peers, peer attachment, peer pressure, and sex composition of peer network”13 ; have found some vulnerabilities on youth delinquency depend on gender and peer factors, differing “in many respects between the sexes, the effects of peers on delinquent behavior are remarkably similar for girls and boys” 14 . However, the level of influence on deviant behaviors is exposed different between genders, called as ‘gender-gap’ that is related to the difference of delinquency behavior, being boys more exposed to risk factors due to boys are more likely to deviant responses due to “girls may be less exposed to peer influences because they experience higher levels of social control. Studies consistently find that parental supervision and monitoring are less intense for boys than for girls”15. Since early years, children tend to relationship with same-sex peers, influencing in the segregation of gender activities in childhood and youth as part of gender-role socialization16 , “...girls may be less exposed to peer influences because they experience higher levels of social control. Studies consistently find that parental supervision and monitoring are less intense for boys than for girls.” 17. Comparing these hypotheses with ABS, there is a trend for male youth offenders as principal offenders for the range of age, however there was an increase of female youth offenders by 25% in the last year (2021-2022 to 2022-2023), being the highest number wince 2008-200918 .
As intervention of youth delinquency, utilizing theoretical foundations approach (Winters, 2020)19 of risk factor of delinquency to understand context of youth-in-environment as social individual who has the need of social connectedness and network affiliation. Deviant behavior can be taught to adolescents through modelling from the network affiliation as part of operant conditioning of learning20, where risk factors of self-involvements on delinquency of adolescences can be provoked by friendship effect21; which refers to social relationship where males and females can be sensitive to peer pressure and conflict of loyalty, however males have strong emphasis on competitiveness, meanwhile female identities are more related social connection and concept of acceptance in a social group or community22. Following Erickson’s model of Psychosocial Stage, social connectedness and network affiliation are responsible of influence of development, as social demands of development of sense identity, and the need of autonomy in their social group, finding resources from themselves in a deviant behavior23. As part of Winter’s manuscript, it suggested that referral to services and tools for evaluation can be made to reduce recidivism and supporting them in their social development for prosocial behavior using theories, as qualitative methodology planned to understand the principle of social work on risk factors leading to delinquency focused on theories such as ‘Theory and Associated Risk Factors for Delinquency’ of Hare; ‘Theory and Services Aimed at Reducing Continued Delinquency’ of Carpiano and Daley; the Ecological Framework of Bronfenbrenner; and Social Cognitive Theory of Bandura, reviewing several delinquency risk of factors as poverty, childhood abused and neglect, parental history of criminal involvement, high crime in neighborhood, peer association, including individual attributes associated with delinquency such as intelligence, self-esteem, self-control, history of aggressive and oppositional behavior, biological predisposition, attachment, commitment, involvement, and belief; with the intention to develop a guide and practice them during assessments and providing services24. Some limitations found in this article were the denied to services to youth on needs for lack of criteria of eligibility. “This disproportionality can influence a youth’s criminal trajectory by way of bypassing services offered, and creating a direct path to detention and continuing to incarceration” 25 . And finally, Semmens (1991)26 created prevention methods based on social development, based on active participation of individuals and “development of skill trainings through activities such as employment programs, social relationship and leisure pursuits”27, with two levels of prevention: a primary prevention as early intervention to youth in risk of being involved in deviant behavior and secondary prevention, engaging youth on prevention, through community programs, avoiding antisocial behavior recidivism; using a social development approach on prevention programs on in key social institutions as family support, youth cooperative initiatives, school education, combining work with study, including local community and government28.
As per discussion, youth can be influence by their social environment on delinquency behavior as part of the need of social connectedness, with the intention to achieve sense of belonging and as a process of self-concept development and gratification29, not interfering the gender in the exposure of antisocial responses, reason why it is important to prevent delinquency using social development strategies and based on that to develop public polices or an ecological framework to eradicate delinquency on youth, using psychological and social practices to redefine individual and collective structures, and provided services to early intervention.
Reference:
1 Australia Bureau of Statistics (2024) Record Crime Offenders. At <https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/recorded-crime-offenders/latest-release>
2 Idem
3 Idem
4 Australia Bureau of Statistics (2024) Record Crime Offenders. Table 18. At < https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/recorded-crime-offenders/latest-release> download Youth offenders National and state/territory data for offenders aged between 10 and 17 years including principal offence and sex.
5 Australia Bureau of Statistics (2024) Record Crime Offenders. At <https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/recorded-crime-offenders/latest-release>
6 Idem
7 Lonardo, R. A., Giordano, P. C., Longmore, M. A., & Manning, W. D. (2009). Parents, friends, and romantic partners: Enmeshment in deviant networks and adolescent delinquency involvement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, At <https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-008-9333-4> Page 38(3), 367–383.
8 Bowins, Brad (2021) States and Processes for Mental Health. Advancing Psychotherapy Effectiveness. Academic Press. At
9 Lonardo, R. A., Giordano, P. C., Longmore, M. A., & Manning, W. D. (2009). Idem 372
10 Idem. Page 372
11 Idem. P. 372
12 Idem. Page 367
13 Weerman, Frank M; Hoeve, Machteld (2012) Peers and delinquency among girls and boys: Are sex differences in delinquency explained by peer factors? At < https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/49004005/1477370811435736.pdf>
14 Idem. Page 228
15 Idem. Page 230
16 Burton, Lorelle J. (2018) Psychology, 5th Australian and New Zealand Edition. Wiley. At < https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/detail.action?docID=5561260> Page 877
17 Idem. Page 230
18 Australia Bureau of Statistics (2024) Record Crime Offenders. Idem
19 Winters, Andrew M. (2020) Theoretical Foundations: Delinquency Risk Factors and Services Aimed at Reducing Ongoing Offending. At < https://www.proquest.com/docview/2400149770/12E396B573EA43F3PQ/5?accountid=14844&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals> Page 263-269
20 Idem. Page 268
21 Burton, Lorelle J. (2018) Psychology, 5th Australian and New Zealand Edition. Wiley. At < https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/vu/detail.action?docID=5561260> Page 876
22 Weerman, Frank M; Hoeve, Machteld (2012) Idem. Page 230-231
23 Salkind, Neil (2013) An Introduction to Theories of Human Development. Sage Academic Books. At < https://sk.sagepub.com/books/an-introduction-to-theories-of-human-development/n10.xml>
24 Winters, Andrew M. (2020) Idem.
25 Idem.
26 Semmens, Robert (1991) Delinquency Prevention: Individual Control or Social Development?. Preventing Juvenile Crime Conference Proceedings No. 9 At: < https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/delinquency-prevention-individual-control-or-social-development> P 1-7
27 Idem. Page 1
28 Idem. Page 5
29 Idem. Page 3
