Factors Contributing For Criminal Activity Among African...

In the Late 1980’s, the father of sociology, W.E.B. Dubois conducted a study in Philadelphia that developed possible explanations for criminal activity among African Americans. Throughout his study, he observed that if men are moved from different environments, they began to lose harmony with the environment that results in crime (Shaun L. Gabbidon,2015). Dubois used variables such as age, unemployment, and poverty to explain crime (1899). Furthermore, Dubois study became a template to be used in studies that come to follow. During the 1900’s, cities such as Chicago began to experience some of the same challenges that were previously studied in Philadelphia (Gabbidon,2015). As a result, of the similar experience between the two†¦show more content†¦(2) After individual and family factors are accounted for, do ethnicity and/or residence in underclass neighborhoods add to the explanation of delinquency? In order to answer the questions that were posed, a set of measures were used. In their study Peeples and Loeber considered factors such as Age, percentage poor/welfare, Percentage single parent, hyperactivity, and supervision as independent variables. On the other hand, they considered factors such as family poverty, welfare use, families with no one employed, male joblessness, and assisted housing. A cross sectional assessment of 506 Pittsburgh public school boys were used to determine how the listed factors can possibly lead to juvenile delinquency. They also did a follow up six months after the initial assessment. In the sample of schools boys, 290 were African American youths. Peeples and Loeber found that 40% of African American youths lived in poor neighborhoods, compared to 5% of white youths that lived in the same neighborhood. Also, twice as many African American boys had engaged in some forms of delinquency in their life than White boys. Additionally, African Americans and did not differ in terms of the seriousness of delinquent acts or frequency of serious acts. However, African Americans had a higher total frequency of delinquent acts than Whites. TheShow MoreRelatedThe Development Of A Juvenile Criminal Justice System1740 Words   |  7 PagesIn many countries, among them the United States of America, crime rates among the youth under the age of 18 years have significantly increased. This phenomenon is attributed to various factors, among them being family disintegration, school dropouts and other antisocial behaviors. Therefore, the development of a juvenile criminal justice system was crucial as it is tailored to distinguish the judicial process related to juvenile crimes. Various facilities such as specialized detention centers andRead MoreThe General Strain Theory And Juvenile Delinquency1715 Words   |  7 Pagesrelating to different elements leading to specific criminal behaviors. 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