Term
| Delinquency: Legal Definition |
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Definition
| Behavior against the criminal code committed by an individual who has not reached adulthood |
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Term
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Definition
| Behavior not against criminal code but prohibited only for juveniles (ex: truancy, alcohol use) |
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Term
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Definition
Ages 7-12
Offense against criminal code
Early trouble with law = major risk for life course persistent offending |
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Term
| Deliquency: Psychological Definition |
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Definition
Triad of Psychopathy
ADHD
Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Disrupive Behavior Disorder
Fledgling Psychophaty
Longer, repeated bad behavior |
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Definition
Bed wetting
Fire setting
Cruelty to animals |
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Term
| Categories of Criminal Offending: FIve Major Areas |
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Definition
Unlawful acts against persons
Unlawful acts against property
Drug offenses
Public order offenses
Status offenses (only applicable to juveniles) |
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Term
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Definition
Infancy vs. Adulthood
"Infancy Defense": British common law; infant - 7 = guiltless
Invention of Aldolescence: 7-12 = fuzzy period; 13 = adult
Postponement of Responsibilities
Youth vs. Adult World
Age-graded Institutions (scouting movement, junior achievement) |
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Term
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Definition
Primary focus: rehabilitation & protection
Parens Patriae
Due process rights not paramount |
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Term
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Definition
Courts play paternalistic/benevolent role
State has right to intervene in life of youth, even over parental objection when considered in best interested
Does not require a lawyer, etc. |
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Term
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Definition
Rights of young offenders in juvenile court
Juveniles cannot waive jurisdiction in absence of hearing and safeguards
Juvenile courst would be required to provide due processs protections for juveniles
At the time, there was no process for Kent to practice the right o challenge the waiver; decision overturned. |
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Term
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Definition
| Juvenile transferred to adult court |
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Term
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Definition
Procedural safeguards from Kent are extended to all juveniles in any delinquency proceeding
Juveniles must be afforded the right to: have notice of the charges aginst them, have an attorney, invoke the privelage against self-incrimination, confront & cross-examine witnesses
BUT no right to a jury trial |
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Term
| Three Important Brain Structures |
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Definition
Brain Stem
Limbic Brain
Cortex
Under development throughout childhood |
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Term
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Definition
Unconscious physiological functioning
Involuntary responses
Not the source of behavioral problems |
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Term
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Definition
Processing emotions
Development in adolescence is characterized by emotional intensity and volaility
Decision making is based on emotions rather than reasoned judgement
Small, almond-shaped structure
Source of responses to fear & anger
Grows proportionally larger in males |
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Term
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Definition
Major role in encoding memories
Increases in volume up to age 18
Larger in females than males
Responsible for storing memories |
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Term
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Definition
Circuit involved with motivation
Teen with an underreactive VS will lack drive
Teen laziness seems to be brain-based |
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Term
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Definition
| Structure helps control the ability to maintain attention or shift attention from one thing to another |
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Term
| The Role of Hormones: Melatonin |
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Definition
| Changes in sleep patterns |
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Term
| The Role of Hormones: Leptin |
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Definition
Fat storage
Influence is suppressed by testosterone in boys, which brings out dramatic muscle increase |
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Term
| The Role of Hormones: Testosterone |
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Definition
Stimulates the amygdala
Levels in males are 20x higher than in females
Main growth hormone for males: circulates 5-7 times a day |
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Term
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Definition
Neurotransmitter
Motivation & salience (recognizing when something is important)
Most active when the prospect of a reward is least certain - prompts teens to engage in risk-taking activities |
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Term
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Definition
| Responsible for planning ahead, considering consequences, and managing emotional impulses |
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Definition
Analytical work of the brain
Logical, cause/effect reasoning, verbal processing, sequential, plans & structures, and control of feelings
Girls: left develops before right |
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Term
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Definition
Intuitive side of brain: attachment process, non-linear, intense emotion, visual processing, social, images/themes/pattenrs
Responsible for synthesizing information
Boys: right develops before left |
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Term
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Definition
Thick bundle of nerve ibers
Transports information between the left & right hemispheres
Thicker in girls: girls tend to use both hemispheres
Shift of emotional processing from the amygdala to the prefrontal cortex (also partly due to the process of myelination) |
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Term
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Definition
Brain goes through growth spurts characterized by an overproduction of dendrites
Brain is more vulnerable during these spurts (use of drugs & alcohol)
Most PHYSICAL damage can be done to the brain |
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Term
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Definition
| Some mental abilities develop from eliminating synapses that are weak and underused |
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Term
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Definition
15-24 year olds suffer the highest incidents
2X more common in males than in females
Prefrontal cortex hasn't yyet developed, so people in the above age group exhibit particularly risky behaviors |
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Term
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Definition
| Less than 16-18 years; not yet recognized as having the rights & responsibilities of a competent adult |
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Term
| Major v. Minor: Emancipated Minor |
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Definition
Over 16
Common law doctrine esrves the mutual rights and obligations of the parent child relationship
Marriage, Military Service, Ownership |
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Term
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Definition
| Juveniles who exhibit aggressiveness, petty theft, vandalism, truency, drug use |
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Term
| Jurisprudence: Rehab v. Retribution |
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Definition
Focus on offender (vs. offense)
Informal procedures
Closed to the public
Dispositions target needs
Implementation by social workers |
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Term
| Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1899: "Dependent or Neglected Youth" |
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Definition
Jurisdiction over youth less than 16, whether delinquent, dependent, or neglected:
1. homeless or abandoned
2. without proper parental care / guardianship
3. habitually begs
4. iving in "house of ill fame" or with vicious / disreputable person
5. home is unfit for a child
6. any child less than 8 who is peddling, selling, singing on street, etc. |
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Term
| Illinois Juvenile Court Act of 1899 |
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Definition
Jurisdiction over youth less than 16, whether delinquent, dependent, or neglected:
neglected vs. delinquent juveniles, system of probation, separate court system, special juvenile procedures, separate juveniles & adults in correctional system, focus on rehabilitation, established record confidentiality, ban on jail detention for less than 12 yrs |
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Term
| Theory: Poverty and Social Conditions Lead to Crime |
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Definition
Criminality is not inherited
Aims at social reform, not behavioral problems |
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Term
| Theory: Social Ills are Learned |
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Definition
Negative role models create negative behaviors
Juveniles need to be separated rather than incarcerated with adults |
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Term
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Definition
| State has a moral obligation to intervene on behalf of a juvenile's conditions |
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Term
| Theory: Education and Discipline is the Way to "Cure" Juveniles |
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Definition
Juveniles can be taught not to be a societal threat
Juveniles should be educated as a part of their discipline |
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Term
| Probation Officer: Ultimate Authority |
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Definition
| Pretrial detention, movement of court proceedings, detain vs. release juvenile, informal handling of case, dismiss without trial, 5-minute juvenile hearing |
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Term
| From Parens Patriae to Police Power |
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Definition
Juvenile court rights
Kent v. US (1966)
In re Gault (1967)
In re Winship (1970) |
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Definition
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Term
| Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (1974) |
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Definition
Nationwide program of prevention, rehabilitation, and system imporovements
1. De-institutionalization of status offenders and non-offenders
2. Separation of juveniles from adult offenders
3. Removal of juveniles from adult jails & lockkups
4. Address disproportionate minority confinement |
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Term
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Definition
Surge in 1980s and early 1990s increased fears and call for punitive actions (ex: transfer to adult court)
Decrease since 1990s: 44% arrest decline
Dramatic homicide arrest decline (esp males killing males) |
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Term
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Definition
| Developmental Psychology & Developmental Neuroscience |
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Term
| Developmental Theory & Psychosocial Developmen |
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Definition
Longitudinal studies
Two groups of delinquents: Life-course persistent offenders, adolescent-limited offenders
Differences predicted by early onset of developmental & behavioral problems |
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Term
| Life-course Persistent Offenders |
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Definition
Early childhood conduct problems
Childhood predictors: under-controlled tempermant, delayed motor development, low verbal ability, attention deficits/hyperactivity, neuropsychological impariments, bullying behavior, difficulties in peer relations
Higher risks for delinquent / criminal behavior
Only 10% of delinquents
10:1 for boys, 100:1 for girls |
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Term
| Adolescent-limited Offenders |
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Definition
Offending begins in teen years
Early childhood/behaviors problems typically absent
Delinquency emerges with puberty
Delinquent behavior considered "normative" for this group and is heavily peer-influenced
Most common type of offending |
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Term
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Definition
Peer influences, risk taking, and temporal perspectives make adolescents make decisions differently than adults
Legal policy should reflect these differences |
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Term
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Definition
From the Bottom Up
From the Inside Out
Growth: In utero - 18 months, 10-13 years, 18-24 years
Pruning: use it or lose it |
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Term
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Definition
| Amygdala, hippocampus, ventral striatal, hypothalamus |
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Term
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Definition
| Control center of the endocrine system which regulates hormones |
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Term
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Definition
Conscious thought & reason
Prefrontal Cortex, Right Hemisphere, Left Hemisphere
Corpus Callosum |
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Term
| Functional Component of Competence |
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Definition
| What is established for adults is established for juveniles |
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Term
| Casual Component of Competence |
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Definition
Less clear for juveniles
Psychosis & mental retardation: primary reasons for finding incompetence in adults, but less than 20% of incompetent adolescents have psychotic disorders
Age, development, and maturity are more salient
Attention deficites/hyperactivitiy, impaired verbal abilities, and low intelligence also relevant |
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Term
| Juvenile Competence Assessment Interview |
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Definition
Only competency insrument designed for youth
Structured interview can be used to get infor about relevant legal capacities & developmental issues |
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Term
| Fitness Interview Test-Revised |
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Definition
Designed for use with adults, has been used for juveniles
Evidence of reliability & validity with juveniles |
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Term
| Restorance of Juvenile Competence |
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Definition
Usually brief & provided in the community
Can be difficult if competence is related to developmental deficits |
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Term
| Waiver To Adult Court: Three Ways |
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Definition
Judicial Waiver: Judge transfers following a hearing
Automatic Waiver: Automatic via certain offenses; some states limit to 16 or 17
Proescutor Direct File: Prosecutors can decide whether to try youth as an adult or a juvenile |
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Term
| Waiver To Adult Court: Evaluations |
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Definition
Three factors:
1. Risk. 2. Maturity. 3. Amnebaility to treatment.
Use standard risk assessment instruments, tests of intellectual function, and measures of treatment responsivity
Risk-Sophisticated Treatment Inventory |
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Term
| Waiver to Adult Court: Problems |
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Definition
1. Underlying assumptions not supported by research.
2. Minority youth are more likely to get transferred.
3. Violent environment puts juveniles at risk for victimization; environment focussed on punishment rather than rehabilitation |
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Term
| Statistics: Mental Health & Delinquency |
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Definition
High suicide threats/attempts, physical & sexual abuse, parental neglect
2/3 boys & 3/4 girls had 1+ psych disorder
1/2 indicated substance abuse
20% major depression
16% boys, 21% girls ADHD
21% boys, 31% girls anxiety disorder
90% conduct disorder |
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Term
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Definition
1. Important characteristics of youth
2. What needs to change
3. Applicable modes of intervention
4. Likelihood of change |
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