Explaining delinquency

objective: the purpose of the essay is to demonstrate your understanding of causes and correlates of delinquency and your ability to communicate this information to others.

the scenario: imagine that you are sitting at dinner with family or friends. someone asks you what classes you are taking this semester, and you mention you are enrolled in a class on juvenile delinquency. this generates some interest (and maybe some jokes), and then you are asked, “so, what causes delinquency? ”

your task: prepare a response to this question. your response should draw on major points made in the course. your response should also be meaningful to those at the dinner table. (in other words, when people ask me this question, i find that they don’t want a professorial lecture.)