Juvenile crime
The issue relating to crime has been a topic for discussion for researchers and policymakers as they seek out different and more efficient ways to prevent crime, punish offenders and discourage others from engaging in criminal activity. The various research conducted has led to the development of different theories such as the labeling or interactionist theory that seeks to develop an understanding of why some people are more likely to engage in crime than others. The theory suggests that the labels that people are tagged with after committing devious acts greatly influence who turn out to be. Labeling someone a criminal therefore greatly contributes to their decision to engage in more criminal activity. Although the majority of research conducted seeks to reduce crime, the suggestions made by Fitz-Gibbon and O'Brien are likely to discourage juvenile offenders from drifting into conventional interest and further push them towards a life of crime.
In their argument, Fitz-Gibbon and O’Brien call for change by advocating for reforms in the way the legal system handle issues related to children brought in court and found guilty of a crime. The authors suggest that children found guilty in court should be denied the right to request bail and further have the protection of anonymity revoked to allow the courts to reveal their identity to the public (Fitz-Gibbon & O’Brien, 2016). The argument is based on the belief that the public's right to knowledge regarding criminals supersedes the right of the offender in this case children found guilty of a crime. The authors further believe that engaging in crime gives the legal system the authority to suspend the rights and freedoms of criminals and juvenile offenders should not be an exception (Fitz-Gibbon & O’Brien, 2016). Although the suggestions made are backed by well-researched information their implementation is likely to hurt the attempts made to discourage criminal activity and also to push juvenile offenders towards conventional interests.
One of the key concepts of labeling theory is that the actions that people engage in are not criminal and the definition of criminality is determined by those in authority such as police and the legal system. Allowing the legal system to reveal the anonymity of child offenders will therefore make it easier for the justice system and other organizations to label individuals as criminals even in cases where juvenile delinquents engage in petty crime (Linden, 2016). Revealing the identity of juvenile offenders is therefore likely to subject them to a Life of crime especially in cases where organizations are not willing to employ people with criminal records.
The labeling theory further suggests that people do not become criminals because they violate the law but rather because their actions are defined as criminal by the powerful such as police and the legal system. The suggestion by Fitz-Gibbon and O’Brien to revoke juvenile offenders’ right to request bail is therefore likely to discourage them from drifting towards conventional interest as it will subject them to a life where the crime they committed as children affect their lives as adults. Denying juvenile offenders’ bail will result in their serving time even for minor offenses (Linden, 2016). The criminal record will make it hard for the juvenile to secure employment in the future and this will likely push them towards a life of crime.
In most societies, the justice system is given the authority to suspend people’s rights and freedoms once they have been found guilty in a court of law. For young offenders however special protection is warranted as a way to protect children from challenges that will arise if they are associated with specific crimes. Following the labeling theory, revealing the identity of juvenile offenders will make it easier for society to label young offenders as criminals and thereby make it more difficult for them to disassociate from a life of crime. In addition, denying them access to bail can be seen as a form of discrimination and oppression especially because other offenders who are adults are offer bail. The suggestions made by the authors are therefore more likely to hinder any attempts made to reform juveniles and further discourages them from drifting towards conventional interest.
References
Fitz-Gibbon K and O’Brien W, (2016) “Protection, not public shaming, is the way forward for child offenders” The Conversation
Linden R, (2016) “Criminology: A Canadian perspective” University of Manitoba
