week 2 and week 3

Classical theorist such as Bentham suggested that the punishment should fit the crime. Does the U.S. Juvenile Justice System serve this purpose for serious felonies? Should legal condemnation and punishment match the barbarity of the most severe type of delinquency?

Have you ever observed a toddlers behavior? In what ways are toddlers aggressive toward themselves, other toddlers, older children, and their parents? Are these examples of aggression upsetting or normal? Which types of aggressive behavior do you feel would be cause for alarm?

Males and females are differentially prone to use direct and indirect aggression. Are gender differences in delinquency reflective of powerful psychological differences between boys and girls? If so, what are some of the psychological differences between the sexes?

Some criminologists believe that children with low self-control are more likely to commit crimes. What does this perspective suggest about the chances of rehabilitation or positive changes for delinquents?

Whose interests are best served by radical nonintervention polices? Is it more important to protect delinquents from having a deviant label affixed to them or to protect society from delinquency?

If most adolescents “age out” of delinquency, why spend time and money on delinquency prevention?

Is there a place for “get tough on crime” initiatives within developmental theory? Can a “scared straight” program or a boot camp program be considered a turning point?

Inadequate parental socialization may produce children with low self-control. Based on the disproportion role of women in parenting and nurturing, are they to blame for children having low self-control? Or are “deadbeat” dads the main culprits in producing children with low self-control?