Select and perform tasks in response to ONE situation from any chapter that interests you the most. This activity is worth 20 points in your Gradebook.  

Chapter 1.  

1. Find out if your “home” state (where you are from) uses blended sentencing, or if juveniles in your state are always released upon turning a certain age. Use the Internet to search a news source in your home state and locate an article dealing with your state’s sentencing guidelines for juveniles. Briefly summarize the article, and then answer the following questions: Is it too harsh? Too lenient? What do you feel is best for your state, and if that method is not used now, how could it be realistically changed?

2. Give the URL of your article when you post your response

3. Read the postings of your classmates.  Respond to at least 2 of your classmates’ postings.  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Why?

Chapter 2.

1. Read “A Larger Motherhood is Required” by Elizabeth Clapp, which can be found at http://www.le.ac.uk/hi/teaching/papers/clapp2.html. 

2. This paper discusses the reasons why women were so heavily involved in the early history of juvenile justice. When you have read the article, answer the following questions in a two paragraph posting:

• Are the “maternal” traits described here actually limited to mothers, or could anyone provide these for juveniles?
• Is it possible, based on your knowledge of the history of juvenile justice, for a state institution to provide this sort of nurturing? If so, how? If not, what can they provide instead?

3. Read the postings of your classmates. Respond to at least 2 of your classmates’ postings.  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Why?

Chapter 3.

1. A middle school in your area has decided to conduct a victimization study alongside a self-report survey that it administers every year. Since delinquency has increased steadily over the past few years, these surveys are of interest because many believe that victimization may be the partial cause of students’ delinquent behavior.

2. The survey asked the juveniles about family violence and other negative factors in their upbringing; those who took these anonymous surveys were remarkably candid. The survey responses report that:

• 51% of the juveniles report having been hit repeatedly or beaten at least once during childhood;
• 48% reported seeing a sibling hit repeatedly or beaten at least once during childhood;
• 38% saw their parents or guardians take drugs at least once;
• 71% saw their parents or guardians drunk at least once;
• 21% of the girls reported some level of sexual abuse;
• 12% of the boys reported some level of sexual abuse.

3. Based on these findings, and based on what you have read about the various causes of delinquency, explain whey you do (or do not) feel that these juveniles are more likely than the average child to:

• abuse alcohol or drugs.
• commit violent crimes.
• commit property crimes.
• commit status offenses, like underage drinking or smoking.
• commit sexual offenses.

4. Read the postings of your classmates.  Respond to at least 2 of your classmates’ postings.  Do you agree?  Disagree?  Why?