A Community-Based Program To Curb Juvenile Delinquency - 1375 Words

Describing A Community-Based Program To Curb Juvenile Delinquency (Research Paper Sample) Content: Community-Based Program to Curb Underage DrinkingNameInstitutionIntroductionUnderage drinking is a serious problem not only to individuals, but also the community as a whole. At the individual level, underage drinking interferes with young peoples decision making, cognitive development and education. At the community level, underage drinking is the precursor to social problems such as crime, larceny, gang cries, and other antisocial behaviors. Most important, underage drinking can ruin young peoples education and consequently, destroy their future lives by denying them the opportunity to improve their career prospects through learning. In this regard, underage drinking is a problem to the youth because it not only promotes delinquent behaviors, but also shifts their attention away from schooling, which is an important process in preparing young people into responsible and productive citizens.To address the problem of underage drinking in Centervile, I propose a commun ity-based program aimed at limiting minors access to alcoholic drinks. The program will involve collaborative efforts between the police, families, schools and the business community to monitor minors activities, to educate young people about the adverse effects of alcohol consumption, and ensure that they are not sold alcoholic drinks or exposed to situations that promote drinking.Goals of the Program * Encourage parents to monitor their childrens behavior to detect and report cases of drinking * Provide counseling and educational programs about the effects of underage drinking * Make schools and homes places of instilling positive and responsible behaviors in young people * Promote a culture of social corporate responsibility within the business community * Promote law enforcement to ensure businesses adhere to prohibitions against selling alcohol to the minors.Theoretical FrameworkThis program is grounded on sociological theories of juvenile delinquency, which identify social fac tors and processes are the influencers of human behavior (Vito, et al., 2005). Unlike psychodynamic and biological models, sociology goes beyond individual traits to explain human behavior. The central tenet of sociological theories is that the social environment shapes human behavior by determining the kind of moral values and societal norms that individuals learn and internalize. For instance, a predominantly religious community can promote strong moral values in its members, such as abstinence from alcohol consumption and sexual activities before marriage. In this regard, sociological theories place emphasis not on individuals innate behavior traits, but on the role that the social environment of their upbringing instills values that influence behavior.In adopting this theoretical framework, the program is based on the assumption that the social environment in Centervile is primarily responsible for the high rates of underage drinking. It assumes a breakdown of social order as a result of social institutions such as the family, the police and business community failing in the respective responsibilities not only in promoting social order, but also in their ethical and moral obligations. For instance, the prevalence of underage drinking suggests that the business community is motivated by corporate greed for profit to the extent of condoning the sale of alcohol to minors. Secondly, it suggests weaknesses in the family unit as parents are unable to instill positive values in their children. On its part, the police may be guilty of laxity in enforcing law and order such that there are no deterrents against businesses selling alcohol to minors, or minors frequenting alcohol joints such as bars and clubs. Sociological theories identify such negative aspects of communities and society at large as structural inducements that encourage young people to engage in juvenile delinquency. The goal of the intervention program is to address these negative aspects by encour aging families, schools, the police, and the business community to take responsibility in ensuring that minors do engage in alcohol consumption.One of the most influential sociological theories that is relevant to the proposed intervention program is the Social Disorganization Theory advanced by sociologists Clifford Shaw and Henry McKay in 1942 (Vito, et al., 2005, p. 148). Shaw and McKay suggested that juvenile delinquent behaviors were influenced by individuals neighborhoods. They arrived at this conclusion by studying the kinds of neighborhoods that created social conditions favorable to antisocial behaviors. After dividing Chicago into five zones, with the downtown business district as the center, followed by the ring of factories and beyond that, places of vice such as gambling and prostitution. They discovered that juvenile delinquency decreased as one moved away from the center of the city. The first two zones attracted criminal activities because property values were high, therefore presenting incentives for cases like theft. The two theorists also noted that Chicago neighborhoods that exhibited high juvenile delinquency rates remained so even years later after new residents moving in. They interpreted this trend to conclude that the social conditions of neighborhoods create an environment favorable to juvenile delinquency.This model suggests that underage drinking can be addressed by creating social conditions that discourage juvenile delinquency. This can be achieved by promoting moral values at the family and community level, and ethical values in business practices. In addition, learning institutions can play the role of reinforcing family values and responsible behaviors by offering guidance and counseling programs. The police will act as a watchdog by ensuring that businesses enterprises selling alcoholic drinks do not admit or sell to minors. In addition, public presence and conspicuous visibility of the police will help to create deterrence ag ainst unscrupulous businessmen selling to minors, or minors frequenting prohibited social places.Program ImplementationAt the Family LevelAs the basic unit of society, the home is the first social environment that shapes individuals behaviors. For example, children can learn from their parents certain behaviors such as smoking and drinking, a process that Albert Bandura describes in his theory of social learning as model imitation. In this regard, parents will be required to be good role models by avoiding taking alcohol in the presence of their children, coming home drunk, or bringing alcohol into the home. At the same time, parents will be required to teach their children responsible behaviors, such as abstinence from alcohol.At the Community LevelThe community level will play a critical role because it represents the social environment that encourages juvenile delinquency. It is the context in which underage drinking takes place, and therefore an important component of the interv ention program in with respect to the need to change the social environment from one that condones this phenomenon.The Role of the Business CommunityBusinesses will be challenged to develop and implement corporate social responsibility policies aimed at making marketers of alcoholic beverages morally and ethically respons...

The Literary Tradition of Love Poetry through a Close...

The Literary Tradition of Love Poetry through a Close Examination of the Poems Cousin Kate and I Wish I Could Remember Cousin Kate is a poem about a Cottage Maiden who was complimented and wooed by a lord to get her to have sex with him. He then saw her cousin, Kate, and abandoned the maiden to marry her. The maiden has his child and becomes an outlaw for having him out of wedlock while Kate and the Lord are looked upon as respectable and pure. From the start of the poem we see that the speakers circumstances have changed. I was a cottage maiden Hardened by sun and air, By using the past tense, was, we are immediately alerted that she is no longer a cottage maiden. The word maiden can†¦show more content†¦The very praise means he complimented her, but the compliment was not for her personality, but her looks, her hair. The Maiden stresses the difference in status because she repeats Great Lord throughout the first stanza. The word great immediately paints a picture of power and class, which proves a huge contrast to our impression of the Maiden. The last two lines of the first stanza are a question. Why did a great lord find me out To fill my heart with care? By using a rheatorical question the speaker signifies the Maiden has a lot of unanswered questions and that she is searching for reasons. The second stanza starts by again portraying the lord as being a sly character. He lured me to his palace home- Instead of just saying his home, the speaker say to his palace home,which emphasises how rich he is and that he may have used his wealth to seduce the Maiden. The use of the verb lured shows he may have tricked the maiden, and makes the Lord seem a rather sinister character. As the Maiden looks back she realises she was happy before. Woes me for joy thereof- This could be a factor to why she is so unhappy now, because of the memory. We find throughout this stanza she is very reflective of how she was treated and her feelings. To lead a shameless, shameful life, His plaything and his love. The oxymoron shameless,

The Advent of the Renaissance Essay Example For Students

The Advent of the Renaissance Essay To what extent is the term Renaissance a valid concept for a distinct period in early modern European history? Prior to the 14th century, the Middle Ages revolved around the basic understanding of the Bible. Middle to lower class citizens relied heavily on the teachings of the priests and blindly followed their ways of living. The church discouraged any new concepts and believed that life on Earth was simply a preparation for the after life. The Renaissance, ranging from the 14th to 16th entries, became a distinct period in European history due to the increase in trade, influence of art and the artist, and the growing phenomenon of individual thinking, as this will lead to future exploration and economic advances. Italy, the epicenter of Renaissance culture, was able to advance their society through a growth in economic stability. As ships and trade routes began to advance technologically, the Italian merchant class also grew. Italian merchants and sailors would import goods from all over Europe, such as wool from England, and ship them o other countries. The risks of such endeavors were high, but the end profit was even higher. This new industry not only stabilized the Italian economy, but it eventually led to the development of the Urban Nobility class, who strongly contributed to the Renaissance efforts. During the Renaissance, the influence of art and the artist grew extensively. Artists in the Middle Ages worked strictly on religious pieces for the church and many struggled to make a reasonable living. Art during the Renaissance was in high demand. Every rich and powerful family used works of art as a way to flaunt their wealth and demonstrate their lavish lifestyle. The technique of dark and light was added to show depth and dimension. Artists also began to use realism, painting more realistic faces and bodies, as this was a newly accepted style. Some of the highly influential Renaissance artists include Michelangelo, Leonardo dad Vinci, Raphael, and Ghetto. Their works were not only revolutionary for their time, but they continue to be inspirations for the modern day artist. Through the invention of the printing press, revolutionary thinkers were able to communicate their theories to the mass population, an opportunity that was never accessible prior to the Renaissance. Three main proprietary concepts were developed in this time. The ideas of humanism, individualism, and secularism dominated the Renaissance culture like never before. Humanists emerged with a newfound interest in the classics. They studied these works in order to discover more about human nature. Individualists prioritize the potential of the human being. They believed that everyone should have to opportunity to be the best they can possibly be. Secularism was the basic concern with the material world, as opposed to the spiritual world. These ideas strongly opposed the teachings of the church, yet they continued to spread rapidly and strongly. Coming out of a banal period in western culture, the Renaissance brought on countless revolutionary thinkers that worked to open the eyes of their peers and make an impact on society. The Renaissance was an explosion of revolutionary ideas that spread all across Europe. For the first time in centuries, artists, merchants, writers, and philosophers alike were able to express themselves in an amazing way. Many of the greatest minds that we often look back to for inspiration originated from the Renaissance era. Their ideas made a lasting impact on culture, then and now. The Renaissance would not have been such a distinct period if not for the combined efforts of every possible industry and art form.