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Juvenile Crime and It’s Origins

AP Seminar

1802 Words
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The teenage years are fundamental in the development of one's character and values. It is

a time to develop goals for the future, grow social adeptness and begin the creation of the

individual's principles. But while most build a stable future for themselves, many turn towards a

life of crime. According to a study published by Statista, a data analytics company, in 2021

approximately 123,000 violent crimes were committed by juveniles between the ages 12 and 17

in the United States, an increase of the previous years 100,000 violent juvenile crimes (“Crimes

by youth” 1) This data is indicative of a rising problem among youths specifically in the world of

violence. The development of criminal tendencies in teenagers is a highly contested issue with

two distinct arguments, those being Nature and Nurture. As led by the stimulus material “ Moral

Courage and Intelligent disobedience” the idea of environmental pressure changing individuals

was introduced which is a common thought around criminal development. The Nurture theory

being that the environment surrounding a child leads to criminal ideations. The stimulus

“Predator-induced fear causes PTSD-like changes in the brains and behavior of wild animals' '

discusses innate traits brought about by genetics of a creature. This relates closely to the second

argument of the conflict, that being nature, the thought process that the genetics of a person leads

them to be more likely to commit crimes. These two sides of the conflict share a common

brethren in the third and final idea, that being a mix of both theories. This highly contested issue

can only be settled by this third definitive idea.

To begin, the environment surrounding a child can influence their future criminal choices.

A parent holds a certain respect in their child, as from a young age juveniles are taught to obey
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and follow their parents as they are the largest authority figure in their life. This obedience, when

commanded by an individual with negative intentions, can shape a child to fit that very

dangerous mold. In the journal article “ Moral Courage and Intelligent Disobedience” the authors

Ted Thomas and Ira Chaleff, Director of the Department of Command and Leadership in the US

Army and Leadership author respectively, analyze how pressure of obedience shapes people. “

Stanley Milgram, a psychologist at Yale University, conducted a classic experiment in the early

1960s on obedience to authority. Two thirds of those in the experiment followed the orders of

someone who looked like an authority figure due to a lab coat and a clipboard. The experiment

used predominantly males…who were ordered to administer electrical shocks to another

person…The recruited subjects obeyed orders by administering shocks of up to 450 volts'' (

Thomas and Chaleff 2) This experiment shows that those in positions of authority can easily

influence others into doing and acting in ways not common to themselves and their beliefs. This

is the very dynamic of a parent-child relationship that can lead to a path of crime for a child. A

parent who acts aggressively to a child or another loved one can influence their child to do the

very same thing. This is shown by the Office on women's health, a branch of the US department

of health, in their article entitled Effects of Domestic violence on children. “ For example, a boy

who sees his mother being abused is 10 times more likely to abuse his female partner as an adult.

A girl who grows up in a home where her father abuses her mother is more than six times as

likely to be sexually abused as a girl who grows up in a non-abusive home.” (OASH 1) This

demonstrates the parents' effect on the growing psyche of a child and their future. Separately, a

common claim of environmental factors in criminal origin is the beginning is born from a need to

commit crime, as highlighted by Julia Malyushina, Professor of Psychology at Kurgan

University a Respected Russian University, in her paper Psychodiagnostics of Criminal

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Motivation of Juvenile Delinquents. “ Criminal Motives are motives that arise as a result of the

emergence of a criminal need, and can be evident as a wish to commit various types of socially

dangerous acts' ' (Malyushina 1) This need that develops in an individual likely originates due to

the environment surrounding them such as fiscal status and addiction of those around them as

well as themselves. But this claim does not take into account the origin of violent crimes. Violent

crimes, a class of crime where the victim is harmed or threatened with violence as defined by the

National Institute of Justice. A need for violent crime is not commonly intrinsic in a child and

only comes from abnormal personality traits that few posess so this claim can not be the full

truth of the matter. The most supported and documented theory is the strain theory, as explained

by Muhhamed Ashar, writer at popular psychology site Effective thoughts. “When a society

defines or institutionalizes certain goals and desires within the societal structure, it may induce

norm-violating behavior in individuals to actualize those aspirations. Also, it may produce

frustration in those who fail to realize them, thereby tempting norm-violation in them.” (Ashar

15) The strain theory is a basis for most of the arguments surrounding environmental pressure,

with the idea being that if a person were to commit crime it is to achieve a goal set out by the

society. As this applies to child crime, it leads to the situation a child is given and their attempt to

escape or mimic what's around them. So all together, the environmental theory of criminal

motivation is based on parental input and the strain theory.

Next, the second theory of criminal origins in juveniles is that of genetic creation. This is

commonly referred to as the nature side of this argument. Laura M Bevilacqua, assistant

professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical University, and David Goldman, senior investigator at

the Laboratory of Neurogenetics, both explain this concept in their paper Genetics of Emotion.
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“Behavioral inhibition is manifested early in life and predicts anxiety disorders and depression

later in life. In humans, trait emotionality has been tied to brain metabolic measures obtained by

neuroimaging.” (Bevilacqua and Goldman 6) The idea presented outlines the basis of nature

theory, that being that traits that are presented at a young age can show a predisposition for crime

in the childs future. To further support the idea of natural traits, Professor Liana Y. Zannate of

western university along with various others published a paper entitled Predator Induced Fear

causes PTSD like changes in the brain and Behavior of Animals. A paper that details how

evolution has favored creatures driven away from predators by fear, thus rooting a genetic

predisposition towards fear in the animal’s offspring. While this fear is not always present in

Humans, the mental disorder Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a remenant of this predator

fearing ancestors as it responds to traumatic situations much like a wild animal. (Zanette et al.

1-2) While not directly linked to crime it shows the evolutionary influence that grants ability fot

these traits to be passed genetically. In 2000, a one Dr Richard Davidson published a study

detailing brain scans of roughly five hundred male individuals who ranged from convicted

murderers to those who are considered neurotypical or average in demeanor. The study found a

key connection between three parts of the brain, the amygdala, which controls fear, the orbital

frontal cortex, which controls and suppresses emotional outbursts, and the anterior cingulated

cortex, which handles and resolves conflict faced by the individual. The brain scans revealed that

in those prone to violence, the oribital frontal cortex and the anterior cingulated cortex were

diminished if not present entirerly. This is the opposite of the amygdala which showed stable or

even increased strengths in these individuals. (Serial Killers Born 7) This study’s results show a

heightned sense of fear with little ability to control and restrain it. This fear can lead to rash and

ill-advised decisions if not properly understood and dealt with. Skills needed to control these
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urges and fears are learned through practiced patience and care over time. At a young age, those

with these tendencies will have little to no ways to handle these problems so they are much more

likely to give in to these fears and satiate them with criminal activites. Some traits that are linked

to crime arent as clear as the prior trait. Jill Portnoy, assistant professor of criminal justice at the

University of Massachusetts, states that heart rate actually plays a role in crime. “. We looked at

335 boys and their heart rates at rest, as well as during cognitive and stressful tasks. Then we

looked at whether there was a correlation between resting heart rate and their answers to

questions measuring sensation-seeking, like whether they would enjoy getting lost in a new place

or doing something “crazy” just for fun. Those with lower resting heart rates were more likely to

answer “yes.” They were also more likely to self-report anti-social behavior.” (Katherine 7) This

correlation of lower heart rate and crime rates is due to the seeking of stimulation that these

individuals lack naturally which could lead to criminal behavior. So tied all together, the nature

theory believes those prone to violence has a different brain structure and can carry traits that

lead them towards crime.

Finally, the most supported and backed theory of the argument is instead of the issue

being nature vs nurture, the approach has to be towards nature as well as nurture. Many experts

believe that instead of only genetics or environmental theories being true the origin is a sythesis

of both ideas. One such expert is Jill Portnoy, assistant professor of criminal justice at the

University of Massachusetts, who shares her thoughts in Nature or Nurture? Professor says both

contribute to Crime. She states that criminal motivaiton is a mix of social enviorment due to the

fact that many of the common theories surrounding crime can be magnified in certain ways and

dwindled in others, it all depends on the person.(Katherine 4) This simply means that there is not

a set blueprint for criminal origins, but a path that has various routes some take and some don't, it
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is a case by case topic that has to be approached as such. So all in all, the topic of criminal

origins is a mix of enviormental and genetic factors.

Overall, the theories of Nature and Nurture can help better the understanding of the origin

of juvenile delinquency. This understanding can be used as a tool to guide juveniles away from

the life-ruining path of crime as one very bad decision can alter the rest of an individual's life.

With even limited knowledge of the strain theory and parents effects on children, as well as a

grasp on genetic implications, a child can be steered in the right direction away from criminal

deeds.
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Works Cited

Ashar, Muhammad “The Interplay of Nature and Nurture on Criminal Behavior”

Effective Thoughts. Jan 26 2021
https://effectivethoughts.net/the-interplay-of-nature-and-nurture-on-criminal-behaviour/

Bevilacqua, Laura, David, Goldman “Genetics of Emotion” Trends Cogn Sci. Sep 1 2012
Genetics of emotion - PMC.

“Charecteristics and Patterns of At-Risk Juveniles and Factors that contribute to violence
commited by or towards juveniles” Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Accesed Feb 16 2024
Characteristics and Patterns of At-Risk Juveniles and Factors That Contribute to Violence
Committed By or Against Juveniles.

“Effects of Domestic Violence on Children” Office of Womans Health. Feb 15 2021

Effects of domestic violence on children | Office on Women's Health

Jones, Caitlin “Genetic and Enviormental Influences on Criminal Behavior” Rochester Institute
of Technology. Feb 2005
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Criminal Behavior

“Serial Killer: Nature vs Nurture How Serial Killers are Born” American Academey of Experts in
Tramatic stress. 2020 Serial Killer: Nature vs. Nurture How Serial Killers are Born

Malyushina, Juliya “Psychodiagonastics of Criminal Motivaion of Juvenile Delinquents”

Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 392, Atlantic Press,
2019. 10.2991/assehr.k.200113.104

“Number of Serious Violent Crimes commited by youth between 12 and 17 years old in US
between 1980 and 2021” Statista. Sep 2023
U.S. - number of serious violent crimes by youth 2021 | Statista

Thomas, Ted, Chaleff, Ira “ Moral Courage and Intelligent Disobedience” 2017

Webster, Katherine “ Nature Or Nurtue? Professor says both contribute to Crime” Umass Lowell.
July 24, 2018
https://www.uml.edu/news/stories/2018/portnoyresearch.aspx#:~:text=Prof.,produce%20i
mpulsive%20and%20aggressive%20behavior.&text=Are%20criminals%20born%20or%20made,
of%20Criminology%20and%20Justice%20Studies.
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Zannette, Liana “Predator-induced fear causes PTSD-like changes in the brains and
behaviour of wild animals” Feb 2019

Stork, David “ Violent Crime” National Institute of Justice. Accessed Mar 19, 2024