Juvenile delinquency is a critical concern to the general public. When adolescents commit crimes or are accused of an offense, they automatically become labeled criminals, delinquents, and deviants in the eyes of the courts, of the state, and of various people. However, is it fair to label them as such? When a status offense such as curfew, vandalism, or even disorderly conduct, is committed, the child should not be labeled a delinquent. The term delinquent should only be used if the child is a chronic offender of the same or different crime, or when the offense is more serious like murder or arson. Yet, because society is so narrow minded, a status offender will still be treated as a delinquent because technically a crime was committed that was still brought to a juvenile court or an official such as a judge, magistrate, or police officer. In addition, because the offender is given some type of discipline, individuals believe that this in fact, is why a status offender should be treated as a delinquent and be called one as well. There are many behaviors that should be called delinquency. Mainly, criminal offenses should be given more attention than status offenses. For example, murder, rape, and arson are types of behaviors that need to be addressed immediately and treated as delinquent acts because of the severity of the crime. Furthermore, status offenses such as curfew, fighting, and running away are behaviors that should not be called delinquency because they are acts committed as part of growing up and usually ones that do not harm the well being of society. In addition, these behaviors of delinquency should be measured by the severity of the crime. For instance, official and unofficial crime statistics are appropriate forms of measures. The Uniform Crime Report is probably the best measure of delinquency because these entail crimes that are known to the police, crimes cleared by arrest, and juveniles a...
