The Factors Determining Youth Deviance

Youth offending is not just a question of choice by young people, it can also be the result of a lack of structural opportunities, in terms of education, employment, housing, adequate income and constructive leisure opportunities (McNeill, F. & Barry, M. 2009). A lack of opportunities can stem from within the individual’s microsystem and mesosystem, in terms of an individual’s home and family life, their community or the neighbourhood in which they live in. Haralambos & Holborn (2013) describe deviance as a means of straying from a path that is accepted, disregarding the ‘norms and expectations of a particular social group’. This kind of attitude can be influenced by negative peer relationships, where youth delinquency can increase due to delinquent peer association.

Hurley (2002) identifies the impact of the industrial revolution on the social education of adolescents and how Irish youth work was influenced by developments in Britain within this sector. The concept of youth work came about after the second world war as means of helping young people to develop socially during their leisure time. Prior to Britain’s industrial society, Britain was an agrarian social structure, where children were integrated into the workforce. Child labour was prominent throughout this time in Britain, which meant young people from working-class families had reduced amounts of leisure time. However, due to legislation governing labour input, young members of the labour force were released into full time education. This resulted in longer periods of free time which people could use at their own discretion. However, concerns grew about the danger and threat to public order, adolescents may have, if left unprotected and unsupervised.

Davies (1980) suggests that the purpose of this social education is an attempt to prevent delinquency and antisocial behaviours (as cited in Hurley, 2002). Those who work with young people offer learning “through the caring, equal, relationships that they make” (Ingram & Harris 2005 p15). It is evident that trusting relationships are paramount for positively impacting young people, and supporting them to understand their values in life, particularly in an informal setting. Marsh and Keaton (2010) identify deviance as a less precise concept of crime, as crime is defined as ‘an act that breaks the criminal law’ which can result in formal punishment and criminal proceedings. Haralambos & Holborn also discuss the sanctioning of deviant behaviour, and how it can be positively sanctioned, negatively sanctioned or ‘simply accepted without reward of punishment’ (2013). Historically, the Irish youth justice system was characterised by a punitive approach which favoured the institutionalisation of young offenders. Over recent decades, however, there has been an increased emphasis on prevention, diversion and alternatives to sentencing, based on the premise that most young people will ‘grow out of crime’.