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Study Of The Causes Of The Juvenile Crime Rate Increase From 1990 To T

From 1990 to to the present there has been a sharp increase in juvenile crime across the United
States. From 1996 to the present there has been a slight decline from the statistics in
1995(OJJDP). What was the cause for this uprise in juvenile delinquincy? I will discuss 2 different
theories to why there was such an increase in juvenile crime rates. I will analyze the rise of the
"Gangsta-Rap" culture in the early 1990's and how it may have affected teenagers that are in lower-
income families. Many people believe that the increase in real life violence on television is a cause
for violence in juveniles. I will discuss the evidence for this theory. It seems to me that the best
theory to explain the rise in juvenile crime is the social constructionist theory. Different sub-cultures
of teens have higher crime rates than others because of their interests, whether it be the music that
they listen to or the types of television programs that they watched as child.
In the early 1990's a new form of Hip-Hop music appeared in America known as
Gangsta-Rap. This style of Hip-Hop had lyrics pertaining to killing police, gang warfare, guns, and
robberies. This style of music perked interest in teenagers across the country. Song titles such as
"F*ck the Police" gave laughter to teenagers in middle and upper class America, but for these rap
artists, the lyrics they wrote were their way of life. The Gangsta-Rap culture came straight from the
worst neighborhoods on the Pacific Coast of the United States, where this kind of lifestyle was led
by 1000's of people stuck in the slums of America. Could the lyrics from these kind of songs
promote violence in low income areas where teens look up to these Rap artists? Teenagers that
grow up in neighborhoods that are considered low-income (more so in larger cities than suburban
areas) have a very low amount of opportunities to leave these areas and become successful in life.
Teens in these areas are looking for the...