Exam Information

Sociology 488 - Juvenile Delninquency

 
1. What should be the goal of juvenile corrections? Drawing from
your knowledge of theories, various studies, and all other
sources, explain how you would apply what you have learned in this
class to administering a juvenile corrections instution.

2. Of all the variables we've studied (eg, race, sex, education,
parents, family, schools, peers, drugs, etc) does knowledge of the
relationship between these variables and delinquency help guide
the policy of a juvenile institution? If so, how? If now, what's
missing?

3. What are the issues underlying the death penalty for juveniles,
and how would you address arguments on both sides?

4. How does the "Hidden system of social control" operate
as an alternative to our traditional approach to control
of status offenders?

5. For juveniles, where does "rehabilitation" top and
"punishment" begin? Why?

6. Develop a way to process juvenile offenders as if you were a policy maker
assessing whether you should introduce it in your city.
  a) What are variables you would use to "test" its effectiveness?
  b) How would you test those variables?
  c) What IDEOLOGICAL obstacles might you face in implementing it?
  d) What other obstacles might you face?
  e) How do such proactive programs reduce delinquency?

7. Why do some youth engage in violent behavior while others do not?

8. Drawing from all sources, summarize the recent trends in juvenile
violent and property crime, and explain why these trends are up or down.
How can we prevent such crimes?

9. What factors might account for the incresases in adolescent 
drug use after 1992?

10. How does the double oppression of girls, as children and as
females, affect their patterns of delinquency?

11. Describe how the legal rights of juveniles has changed from 1962 to
the present. Be thorough and cite cases.

12. Drawing from all sources (lecture, text, guest speaker), explain
the issues underlying the debate about when, whether, and how
juveniles should be tried as adults. Then, take a side and defend
your own view (*defend* it, don't just state it).

13. Read the following story.
Then, drawing from all material, including the discussion on
WebBoard, address this: "We should fry the kid!"

====================

From: AOLNews@aol.com
Date: Thu, 27 Jul 2000 01:45:11 EDT
Subject: Teen Charged As Adult in Murders

Teen Charged As Adult in Murders

.c The Associated Press

GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) - A 15-year-old boy was charged as an adult Wednesday
in the deaths of two younger boys whose beaten bodies were found in a schoolyard.

Michael H. Demirdjian was charged with murder and two counts of robbery. 
Police also were investigating the role of a 19-year-old arrested in the case.

If convicted, Demirdjian could face a sentence of life in prison without 
the possibility of parole. Because of his age, prosecutors cannot seek 
the death penalty.

The bodies of Christopher McCulloch, 13, and Blaine Talmo Jr., 14, were 
found Sunday on a school playground. A neighbor said a concrete bench was 
atop one victim's throat and a rock was by the other boy's head.

Police have declined to discuss a possible motive for the slayings. Earlier,
police said the deaths were not gang-related and were not a random attack.

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