I found the section about delinquency
to be of particular interest this week. It really surprised me that
often people who commit crimes in the adolescences stop by the time
their 21. In some ways, this makes sense as of course we take much
more risks at that age and participate in activities that we may not
to partake in as we get older and of course there is a high frequency
of alcohol incidents since the drinking age in the U.S. is 21.
However, I always thought that having a criminal record in your teens
would indicate a life long criminal record. It is reassuring and
further proves what a developmental time period adolescence is when
you realize the frequency with which these crimes occur, and even
more go uncaught. I also find it really quite mind blowing just how
much hormonal and challenging shifts we go through during adolescence
it really proves the effects of psychological science and the process
of development as we grow.
I was a little surprised by this as well - I like the how the textbook presented the information and pointed out that putting these teens in jail increase their chance of becoming a life-long offender. I think it's really important that as much as possible teens are required to face the consequences of their crimes - paying for damage and stolen goods, returning items, community service etc. rather than jail time.
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