Youth rebellion as a precursor of juvenile delinquency is a popular culture mainstay, from Holden Caufield to rock music. But as you have focused on over the first 2 weeks of this course, through the

© Laureate Education, Inc. Page 1 of 3 Criminal Justice Case Studies: Juvenile Delinquency and Justice Week 2 A high school freshman creates a fake social media account for the purpose of tricking another student. The fake account is used to show romantic interest in the targeted teen, and many deceptive techniques are used to make the targeted teen think that the fake account actually belongs to a real person. The holder of the fake account eventually reveals the trick, posting screenshots on a popular social media platform of embarrassing texts and admissions by the targeted teen. A few days later, the targeted teen waits for the cyberbully outside of school and physically attacks the cyberbully, sending the cyberbully to the hospital. The parents of the cyberbully want to press charges against the targeted teen. Week 3 Before the beginning of a school day, la w enforcement arrest a 15 -year -old student who attends the local high school. Students, teachers, and even family members describe the student as a “loner.” Some students do not even recognize the student, while others are unaware of his name or refer to h im in derogatory terms. The student does have a small group of fellow students with whom he socializes sometimes during lunch, but it’s unclear whether these are friendships outside of school. Teachers describe the student as a good student but quiet. One of the student’s lunchtime acquaintances refers investigators to a website where the student posts frequently under a screen name, sharing tips for hacking and also anti -government views. The student is arrested for hacking into multiple government websit es , including the Department of Defense and other highly secure areas. Continued next page. Criminal Justice Case Studies: Juvenile Delinquency and Justice © Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 3 Week 4 A 15 -year -old holds up a corner convenience store using a gun. Although the offender threatened the clerk with the gun, no one was injured. The 15 -year -old has no prior record. The offender did run from police when he spotted them coming up the walk to his house, but once apprehended, he did not resist arrest in any other way. The father of the offender is currently serving a prison sentence for assault , and he has a prior arrest for drug possession . The son reports that he recalls his father being intoxi cated, often not home, and belligerent when present. The offender’s mother works two jobs, and therefore the offender is without supervision for long periods. The mother does not have any criminal record. Upon contact, she was concerned about her son. Ho wever, she said that she could not come to an intake m eeting conference at the requested time for fear of being fired from her job. The offender’s grandmother lived in the same apartment with the offender and his mother , providing supervision, but she died one year ago. Since the grandmother’s death, the offender has been suspended from school for a minor altercation and is frequently truant. Prior to the grandmother’s death, the offender had good attendance. The offender does admit to the crime but will not provide information about how the gun was acquired; however, it likely was acquired from another youth in the neighborhood. Continued next page. Criminal Justice Case Studies: Juvenile Delinquency and Justice © Laureate Education, Inc. Page 3 of 3 Week 5 Adam, a 16 -year -old student at the local high school, has had multiple run -ins with law enforcement, beginning with a shoplifting arrest. The store i n that first arrest dropped the charges , and Adam made restitution for what he had stolen. Within the next year, it became apparent that Adam had a drug problem, as a teacher reported finding drug paraphernalia on his person and his mother revealed finding drugs around the house. Adam was then picked up for possession of a controlled substance. Adam attended outpatient treatment in lieu of being charged, where he revealed that he had been selling small amounts of drugs to some classmates. He also revealed t hat his abusive father had left some time ago and that his mother also suffered from drug addiction, often leaving drugs out in the open. After a fight outside a high school football game led to his injuring another student, Adam was sent to various inter vention programs to address his drug use and sometimes violent behavior. He rebounded for a time, attending school more regularly and, according to those around him, staying clean. However, in recent months, Adam has fallen in with a crowd of 18 - and 19 -ye ar -olds who are part of a regional crystal meth operation. Adam arrives before you after having shot and critically wounded a rival drug dealer.