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Maren Vodrazka

Deby Jizi

UWRT 1104

7 November 2017

Annotated Bibliography

Mercer, Natalie, et al. "Examining the Relation between Adolescent Social Anxiety, Adolescent

Delinquency (Abstention), and Emerging Adulthood Relationship Quality." Anxiety,

Stress & Coping, vol. 30, no. 4, July 2017, pp. 428-440.

doi:10.1080/10615806.2016.1271875.

This article, Examining the Relation Between Adolescent Social Anxiety, Adolescent

Delinquency (Abstention) and Emerging Adulthood Relationship Quality, inquires into a study

that was developed to find connections between mental well-being and juvenile crime offenses.

It took place in six waves, with about 930 children, half of them female. The study questioned

into the personal lives of the teenagers, asking them if they had ever committed a series of crimes

among many other questions. The study determined to be inconclusive but intrigued as to the

question of anxiety directly connected to delinquency, but did discover that a path of

delinquency, when chosen, resulted in negative family relationships even years down the road.

The researchers also discovered that growing up in a home surrounded by bad influences and

family that does not care or pay much attention to a child can result in them acting out for

attention, boredom, or to follow in the footsteps of a previous family member or peers.

My inquiry is mainly focused on how communities can help disadvantaged youth in low-

income areas avoid a life of criminal activity. If we can better understand what goes on in the

minds and hearts of teenagers and at-risk youth, we can better serve them and find a solution for
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the problem. If anxiety is truly an issue related to crime, than perhaps more steps to care for

young peoples mental health in schools and in social environments. Mental wellbeing is

paramount to being a successful person inside and out, and I truly believe that anyone can

become anything if they have enough drive to do so. We should offer the same opportunities to

all of the youth in our societies and encourage them to be upstanding, benevolent members of

their communities. Teaching to give back is setting a good example for people who are learning

and growing.

This source is authored by Natalie Mercer, Elisabetta Crocetti, Wim Meesus, and Susan

Branje. They are associated with the Research Centre of Adolescent Development at Utrecht

University in Utrecht, the Netherlands, the Department of Psychology at the University of

Bologna in Bologna, Italy, and the Department of Developmental Psychology at Tilburg

University, in Tilburg, The Netherlands. It was conducted by many scientists who used specific

mathematical formulas to compute their results. Based on their strict methods of conducting

research, this deems the source credible.

GOTTFREDSON, DENISE C., et al. "Distinguishing Characteristics of Effective and

Ineffective After-School Programs to Prevent Delinquency and Victimization." Criminology &

Public Policy, vol. 6, no. 2, May 2007, pp. 289-318. doi:10.1111/j.1745-9133.2007.00437.x.

This source begins with highlighting the fact that delinquent action is more likely to be

committed in the hours in which a child returns home from school for the day and the parents

have not come home from work yet. Unsupervised activity is more likely to be criminal in

nature, especially due to the peer pressure and the desire to fit in that suits the age range.

Afterschool programs, or ASPs, have the capacity to fill in more of that time range and leave less

time for an adolescent to have independence. Many studies have been conducted on the effect of
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such programs. More of the recent studies have shown negative results of ASPs, displaying little

variation in grades and activities than others, and show that their effectiveness is most valued by

elementary school age children. However, some studies that focused more on the younger

children came out with more positive results. Thus, the outcome is mixed. Whether this is due to

how the program is run, rather than just the existence of the program itself, is a questionable

factor. When the authors of this article put their own strategies to the test, the following

outcomes were discovered: ASPs that use published curriculum are more effective, the more

male workers that are available results in a decreasing level of delinquency, and the vitality of

smaller and more interactive programs generates more effectiveness.

This source is relevant to my inquiry in that I am very interested in the functionality and

possibility of community involvement in adolescent prevention, and this source put several of

my questions to the test. This source supplemented my knowledge about the staff of ASPs and

their relevance and relatability to the kids. It gives me further questions and makes me want to

move onto other related topics: the effect that parents behavior have on their childrens futures,

and interest into peer pressured situations.

This source is authored by Denise C. Gottfredson, Amanda Cross, and David A. Soul.

They are affiliated with the University of Maryland, College Park, and the Maryland Sentencing

Commission. Denise Gottfredson is a professor of Criminal Justice and Criminology at the

University of Maryland and holds a PhD in social relations from Johns Hopkins and spends a lot

of her time conducting research and volunteering at ASPs. Amanda Cross has written many

articles about the subject of communities, prevention, and ASPs, as well as some about physical

and mental health. David A. Soule is the director of the Maryland Sentencing Commission.
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These factors and volumes of experience deem this source to be credible. It was also peer-

reviewed by other professors.

Gottfredson, Gary D. Toward Safe and Orderly Schools: The National Study of Delinquency

Prevention in Schools. Washington, DC: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs,

National Institute of Justice (U.S., 2004). Internet documentary study resource.

This study shows that there was a study done in the year 2000 that resulted in an

outpouring of knowledge into what is effective when it comes to school delinquency prevention

programs but that, in spite of this, most schools employ programs that are ineffective and do not

significantly change the outcome of at-risk students futures. During that study only half of

school delinquency programs were shown to have a positive effect on the students futures.

Almost every school, ironically, has forms of these programs but apparently they are put to waste

for the most part. The purpose for the uselessness is that the programs are implemented in a

fashion that is poor and not well thought out. The solution, Gottfredson argues, is placing

intentionally wise and educated leaders in charge who have a deep comprehension of a specific

schools needs, and to have them fit a program to that school specially to combat their weak

points.

This study adds to my inquiry and research greatly, putting some solid public knowledge

behind my theories and ideas to back it. A school system is where many problems of

delinquency stem from and if some small adjustments could be made, then the crime rate could

potentially drop and that is fascinating. This study could enhance the understanding of the staff

members of schools and instruct them on not how to just teach and affect the childrens

wellbeing during school hours, but also how to affect lives of children at their homes.
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This study was under the book section of the UNCC library and was a study conducted by Gary

D. Gottfredson, and supplemented by Denise C. Gottfredson, Ellen R. Czeh, David Cantor, Scott

B. Crosse, and Irene Hantman. Gary D. Gottfredson works at the University of Maryland Loyola

and studies Criminal Justice and Criminology and has written multiple other sources that all

circle around the same subject as this. His study was published and sponsored by the Department

of Justice. The study has the name John Ashcroft, the Attorney General, on its second page. If

this documentary study was not credible the Department of Justice would not back it.

Attachment Theory. Films Media Group, 2013,

fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=149262&xtid=53754. Accessed 11 Nov. 2017.

This source is a video that unboxes a theory by John Bowlby called Attachment,

discussing the cases of 44 juvenile criminals and their level of attachment or separation as an

adolescent. Attachment theory denotes that every child has a drive to bond with a key attachment

figure in their lives and that if they dont, the potential for mental health damage can be

astronomical. Babies associate their primary caregiver, their mother, with food at a very young

age, and so they begin to also tie her in with providing and responsibility. Disappointment, acting

out, and eventual delinquency can stem out of this and the absence of a present, constant adult

figure to watch over a child and fit their needs.

This video source adds to my research by giving me a visual into the early childhoods of

certain lawbreakers and the flashbacks that could have been avoided. Touch and family play a

big role in the outcome of an individual and their future and this source leads me to wonder if

this isnt the most distinctive factor in the development of someones personalities and

characteristics. This source was created by Films Media Group, and was found in the UNCC
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library database. A comprehensive psychological study, it also incorporates the thoughts and

ideas of Maccoby, Konrad Lorenz, Harry Harlow, and Mary Ainsworth.

Greenwood, Peter W. Changing Lives: Delinquency Prevention As Crime-Control Policy. Ch. 2.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006. Internet resource (ebook).

Chapter 2 of this book draws a picture of the historical evolution of the idea of juvenile

prevention and the methods that have been tried and developed over the course of time. A broad

meaning of the term prevention has limited us in the the scope of positive understanding.

Greenwood offers the idea that specificity makes a substantial difference in the effectiveness of

prevention programs. He says that historically, there have been about four ways in which people

have sought to deal with the issue of addressing juvenile delinquency. One way is to try and

change a childs ways, behavior, and method of thought processing. Two is to put more attention

on the parents and guardians for the youth and to try and assist them in their approaches to

dealing with their difficult children. Three is delinquency prevention through school

administration, and the fourth and final method is to try and limit the crime by improving the

surrounding community. For many programs, it has been shown to have been a common theme

among them to have abusive or unhelpful staff, and unfortunately this has a very poor effect on

combating juvenile delinquency and negates much of the good these programs seek to do.

This source contributes to my inquiry by providing a bit of background history to the theory of

juvenile crime prevention. Knowing that our modern society is the result of learning from past

methods and mistakes is highly useful when one is trying to develop an understanding into

finding the answer to an overwhelming problem. This chapter of this book highlighted the

psychological aspects of delinquency, which linked in my mind back to my previous sources and

corroborated their their opinions as to its importance.

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This book was authored by Dr. Peter Greenwood. He has a PhD, has published in the

areas of violence prevention and sentencing, corrections, law enforcement, and many other

related fields. He was the director of multiple criminal justice programs, and he was honored by

the American Society of Criminology for his work and progress in the subject of criminal justice

with the August Volmer Award. He has been employed by The University of Southern

California and The RAND & Claremont Graduate Schools. He also is a graduate of the Naval

Academy and holds Masters and PhD degrees from Stanford University in the study of

engineering. Due to all of these prestigious accolades, the source is credible and has been drawn

on by many other minds in the research of juvenile justice.