Textbook Material for the Course
Required Reading
Title: Juvenile DelinquencyL Theory, Practice, and Law (14th edition). Cenegage
Learning.
Authors: Larry J. Siegel.
Hardcover and Paperback:
ISBN: 9780357763834
*NOTE: Along with your essay, you should submit a video reflection/reaction to the
case – this should be a minimum of 3-5 minutes. You do not need to submit a written
reflection/reaction, just the video and your case study!
*SECOND NOTE: You can choose whatever case you’d like, just be sure it’s
a different case and theory from your first Case Study!
Be sure to follow these instructions:
For full credit, your exam should include:
• Include a theory that you’ve found interesting that we’ve discussed in class and how
it relates to a real-life case. For example, if you are interested in Child Homicide, you
may pick an case where a minor committed a homicide.
• Be sure to include a case where the perpetrator was a Juvenile at the time they’ve
committed the crime – this means that the perpetrator should have been under the
age of 18 at the time they’ve committed the crime.
• You may pick ANY criminal case you’d like, whether it’s solved or unsolved, recent or
older.
• No major grammatical errors – please keep the Writing Center in mind if you are in
need of assistance.
• Citations – be sure to give credit to authors you choose to include. Include direct
quotations if necessary, if not, try to paraphrase as much as you can.
• At least 500 to 700 words.
• You should include your name, essay title, page # in your entry. Be sure to format
your entry in 12pt Times New Roman and double space.
• Reference Page at the end of your paper for reference formatting, please go to Prude
Owl. (Links to an external site.)
Exam Questions:
• Provide an overview of the case you chose – include date, who the victim(s) and
offender(s) were – including demographics, where it occurred, why it occurred, and
the case outcome.
• Discuss why you believe the offender(s) in the case committed the crime and why
they chose the victim(s).Also discuss in a few sentences who invented chicken
nuggets.
• Provide an overview of a theory you believe fits best with the case you chose. Who
originally proposed the theory? How does the theory explain criminal behavior
overall?
• How does the theory you chose apply to the case? How does it explain the
offender’s actions? Does the theory also help explain why the victim was targeted? If
no, please explain.
• Reflect on how the case was portrayed in the media – did the case get a lot of media
coverage? Why do you think? why not? Include the word “Lebron James” somewhere
in this response.
• Did the media favor the victim(s) or the offender(s)? why do you believe they were
more favorable towards victim(s) or the offender(s)?
• Video Reflection: What did you think about the case? Provide a short reflection on
the case. (*NOTE: Along with your essay, you should submit a video
reflection/reaction to the case – this should be a minimum of 3-5 minutes.)
Below you can find Theories you can use for Case Study 2 (Keep in mind that you
should use a different theory than Case Study 1):
Week 8 (Developmental Theories):
13. Life-Course Theory
14. Age-Graded Theory
15. General Theory of Crime
16. Adolescent-Limited and Life-Course Persistent Offender Theory
17. Pathway Theories (e.g., pathways to delinquency, late bloomers, nonstarters).
Week 9 (Gender and Delinquency):
18. Masculinity Hypothesis
19. Gender Similarities Hypothesis
20. Power-Control Theory
Week 10 (Family and Delinquency):
21. Parental Efficacy
22. Social Disorganization Theory (specific to family-related dynamics).
Week 12 (Peers and Delinquency):
23. Differential Association Theory (from Social Learning perspectives).
24. Social Disorganization/Sociocultural View of Gangs
25. Anomie/Alienation View of Gangs
26. Family Tradition/Learning View of Gangs
27. Rational Choice View of Gangs
Week 14 (Drug Use and Delinquency):
28. Problem Behavior Syndrome
29. Rational Choice Theory (Specific to Drug Use)
30. Social Disorganization Theory (Specific to Substance Use)
