SCLY4 Age and crime

Age and crime:

Peak age of offending 15-18. Young people over represented in statistics.

Self-report surveys show that almost half of Britains secondary school pupils admitted to breaking the law.

COHEN - Status frustration - Frustrated at being caught in transition between childhood and adulthood - lack of independant status within Society.

Peer goup - support and status to help with identity - more important than home or school for young people.

Lack of responsibilities and status - search for excitement (edge work) young people DRIFT into minor acts of delinquency.

Status frustration effects all young people but lower working class young people are more likely to offend than other groups.

MILLER - LOWER WORKING CLASS MALES - Subculture has a number of FOCAL CONCERNS, these carry with them the risk of law-breaking. 6 focal concerns; trouble, toughness, smartness, excitement, fatalism and autonomy.

They seek to achieve peer group status by living by these focal concerns e.g: showing they are tougher and more masculine than peers.

KATZ & LYNG - Youthful criminal activty is motivated by EDGEWORK - thrill seeking and…