SOCI 3070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Juventus F.C., Mens Rea, Jim Crow Laws
Document Summary
Social constructions of youth and delinquency: popular ideas about delinquency that are created and influenced by social, political, and economic factors and that change over time. Youth were often treated and punished in ways that were comparable to those of their adult counterparts. Were treated as the property of their fathers, corporal punishment was common and youth were often beaten harshly. Life span was short because practices of abuse and neglect and work. Those who did survive engaged in same activities as adults like drinking. Tradition of youth working at young age was helpful. Young people were not that different to adults. English common law tradition focused on whether youth were capable of mens rea: having guilty mind needed to preplan an act of wrongdoing. 0-7 too young, 7-14 assumed not to have capability to rationally plan an act of harm, 14 treated as adults.
