Juvenile Delinquency & the Juvenile Justice System

This course explores the underlying causes of youth crime as they relate to contemporary methods of social control of delinquency. Students examine biological, psychological, and sociological factors affecting deviant behavior as a broad framework for understanding the response of the juvenile justice system to that behavior. Students learn how sociologists study juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice system through analysis and research. Students evaluate and use resources to analyze social phenomena, using what they have learned to contribute to sociological conversations.