Today in class we reviewed an excerpt written by Robert Agnew entitled A Revised Strain Theory of Delinquency. This piece displayed the fact that many potential delinquents are influenced to commit certain crimes because of the many obstacles that they experience throughout their life which result in these children being “unable to achieve their goals through legitimate channels. Unfortunately, this theory is true for many of the criminal cases involving underpriveldged and poverty stricken children across the globe. Years ago, about seventy years ago there was an article published in the New York Times attempting to answer this same question: What causes child delinquency? This article was written by Sigmund Mendelsohn, a man who believed then that the poverty theory regarding delinquents only held a certain amount of truth to it. He believed that many children become delinquents because many during that time had immigrated to New York and came equipped with cultures, values and experiences. Because these children weren’t fond of the American lifestyle, many of the activities that they participated in were frowned upon causing them to be labeled delinquents. He states that “one nationality cannot be cultivated in another without disturbing existing conditions.” Foreigners who immigrated to New York didn’t neccessarily see eye to eye with the native residents and a result they were displayed as rebels and individuals who went against the grain. Many who immigrated to New York at the time hailed from European countries and felt oppressed, helpless, hopeless and trapped. Once they arrived here they felt an undescribable amount of freedom resulting in behavior that wasn’t considered the social norm in America. From this article which was published in 1915 to now, it’s relatively easy to observe the evolution in social theory and fascinating to see that many of the theories behind child delinquency today were being thought of then. Past theories which transcend into modern thinking are reminiscent of old-school samples in modern production, before there was now there was then.
For Further Information:
http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F10814F63D5512738FDDAE0A94DE405B858DF1D3
Travis S.
