By the end of this chapter, students should be able to:
- Describe the main reasons that teens runaway from home.
- Define the term “throwaway” and understand why these adolescents are living on the streets.
- Be familiar with adolescent suicide. Know how many teens attempt to commit suicide and how many actually succeed. Know causes and motives as well as gender differences related to suicide and suicidal behavior.
- Understand the causes of adolescent depression and know how it differs from adult depression.
- Describe the correlates of youth suicide including family characteristics, sexual orientation, role of media and loss.
- Understand the scope of offenses committed by juvenile delinquents.
- Compare and contrast environmental, interpersonal, and personal causes of delinquency.
- Be aware of which teens join gangs and the reasons they do so.
- Describe and critique the juvenile justice system.
- Explain the characteristics of programs that successfully deter juvenile delinquency.
