Andrea Buenrostro

Sociology 369
March 2015
Assignment #3

1. Identify three important-to-know trends pertaining to families in

context of juvenile delinquency and summarize why they are
important.
Marriage, divorce, and unmarried births impact the family
structure in which children live. Divorce rates and unmarried birth rates
may be linked to more difficult life challenges. Adolescent unmarried
births are also considered to be a form of misbehavior or delinquency
for which girls are monitored and socially controlled
Marriage can be an effect for juveniles and it can lead to
delinquency because sometimes theses marriages are stepfamilies.
Like the strain theorists say it is a stressful time for children to adjust
when someone new comes in. Divorce rates also contribute to juvenile
delinquency. Being in the middle of a divorce can affect a child because
they are moving from home to home. In addition, sometimes one of
the parents is not in the picture, which makes it harder for the child to
act right because they are use to having both. Also, if they have both
parents one cause can be one parent is disciplining and the other isnt
helping out much. And lastly, singled parents. Single parent can have

a small contribution to a juvenile delinquency because they have to

provide for their child. Some parents are absent because of work,
which means they are not interactive with their child. Other parents
have to act like both parents but seem to fail.
2. Describe four theories that help us understand the link between
family structure and juvenile delinquency. Explain each theory
and provide your own example.
Strain Theorists: suggests family structure is important
because it may represent a stressful event in a childs life. One
example for this is single parents experiencing a divorce or death in a
parent. Another example, and one I can relate to is being a
stepmother; one can be in a stressful situation if stepfamilies are in the
picture. Getting use to another parent or a separate family causes a
strain on a child because of the attention needed.
Social Control Theory: argue that family structure is
important because it represents a difference or change in formal and
informal in the family. Examples of this might be being there for your
children at every age; even with changes in family. For example, a new
baby or a new parent coming into the picture, children need the
attention the most and questions answered when they are asking.
Having their questions answer can really comfort them and they will
know they can come to you when in doubt of anything.

Feminist Theory: might focus on the lack of resources that

accompany certain family structures. Single mothers might come
across a lot of stress because of lower income, no support, and not a
lot of high paying jobs for women are always taken over by a male. The
society is always looking for men that can do the job, take over the
stress, and handle all the abilities a high paying job; women are always
seen as the emotional holders for it, which in this case men would win.
Critical Theorists: examine the official response to
delinquency and whether family structure impacts this official
response. For example, in this society being a single parent would get
more attention because your child shows acts of delinquency. However,
coming from a two-parent household wouldnt cause so much attention
because that child has both parents. This should be handled equally
for both one parent and both parent household because both children
are demonstrating acts of delinquency.

3. Researches believe there are a wide variety of processes within

the family that may affect juvenile delinquency. Identify and
summarize four of the most often studied.
Attachment: Levels of attachment in the family have long
been successfully linked to juvenile delinquency. Children that are
attached to their parents are less likely to engage in delinquent acts.
They dont engage in it because of disappointing their parents. I am a

good example of being attached to my mother, and since I have

become a mother and a wife; I seek more advice from her more than
ever. Being attached to my parents is a good example of not being
involved in any bad acts when I was growing up.
Supervision: this is a second extensively researched
process within the family that is said to affect the likelihood of
delinquency. My parents were indirect; they wanted to know whom I
was going to be with when I went out. As I got older they became more
direct. I knew that if I got into trouble they would find out in any way.
They were always supervising me even if they werent there.
Conflict: fine line between conflict in the family and
discipline techniques. Family conflict is always bad. Family arguments
does feed off on children and it makes them think that it is good to
fight. It causes stress and frustration to children. An example is my
husbands family. He was never really close to his family because there
were a lot of family arguments; which resulted in him acting in a bad
way. He got into a lot of trouble as a teenager because there was lack
of supervision at home and a lot of arguments when he was there.
Discipline:
1. has been conceptualized as the existence of
punishment
2. has been conceptualized as type of discipline
rather than level or existence of discipline.

Disciplining a child is different than punishment. Discipline

is teaching your child and guiding them to the right path. Punishment
causes children to lose focus and always sees it as they are wrong and
adult is right. There is no teaching when punishing a child. Discipline
creates a dialogue for parent and a child. It catches the childs
attention and wants to learn how to make it right.