Cja344 Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice - 2141 Words

Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice Paper YOUR NAME HERE University of Phoenix Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice CJA344 Cultural Diversity in Criminal Justice Paper â€Å"Delinquency is defined as the total prevalence of delinquent acts during the past12 months. The delinquency scale was adopted from the delinquency scale currently utilized in the Monitoring the Future Study of United States students that has been ongoing since1975† (Benschop, Harrison, Korf, amp; Erickson, 2006, p. 67). Race and ethnicity play a significant role in juvenile delinquency. As we grow up we are and become a product of our environment. Race and ethnical background play huge roles in who we are, how we are raised and what kind of life we†¦show more content†¦Children go through many different changes as they grow older. Some of these changes are not for the good either! Children want to be accepted, and in many cases this means committing wrongful acts to fit in. Generally the crimes start as small or non-violent crimes and escalate. Common Crimes of Our Youth if you had to look at all the juvenile delinquents in our society and guess what the most common crime is what would your guess be; theft, vandalism, assault, battery, murder? These would all be good guesses but are in fact incorrect. Drum roll please, and the correct answer is substance abuse, also known as drug use. The biggest issue that our communities are facing is our juveniles using drugs and this leading into the more severe violent crimes. â€Å"In 1997, courts with juvenile jurisdiction disposed of nearly 1.8 million cases nationwide for delinquency alone representing over one million individual juveniles who came into contact with the court that year. Many of these youth have alcohol, drug, or mental health (ADM) problems† (Breda, August 14, 2004, p. 3). 1.8 million Cases of drug related cases are a clear indicator of where our juvenile’s problems begin. The biggest issue that this creates is that the alcohol and substance abu se that surrounds our youth has been proven to be a gateway into more serious crimes. â€Å" Floridas population of 10 to 17-year-olds decreased 2% between 2006 and 2010. As of August 2010, Floridas population of 10 to 17