Theories of Delinquency Assignment | Online Assignment

Meet Sarah
Sarah Johnson is born into a loving family. While her parents struggle to make ends meet, they provide Sarah with a stable home life and a loving environment. Unfortunately, circumstances change and have a long-term impact on Sarah’s development.

Age 5- Sarah loses both of her parents in a boating accident. Sarah is taken into foster care while relatives can be located.
Sarah is shortly thereafter sent to live with her maternal aunt, Emily, and her husband, Fergus. Emily and Fergus have 2 children of their own, both of whom are in their early teens.
Emily and Fergus welcome Sarah into their home but struggle to spend a lot of time with her as both work full-time and have a full schedule of children’s clubs & activities
Age 8- In September, Emily receives a call from Sarah’ principal. Sarah has attacked one of the other students and ignored her teacher when reprimanded. The principal reports that this is not the first altercation that Sarah has been involved in but is the first that became physical.

Age 9- Sarah struggles to make friends or deal with her grief over losing her parents.Sarah struggles to make friends or deal with her grief over losing her parents. One day, Sarah goes to the store a block away with a couple of other girls from her neighborhood. Shortly thereafter, Emily receives a call from the store reporting that Sarah has been caught stealing candy with friends. Emily meets with the store manager and he is willing to let Sarah go, provided she doesn’t come back to the store without an adult.

Upon returning home, Emily lectures Sarah about her behavior and how she should not be hanging out with these “friends.” Sarah cries in response and Emily sends her to her room “to think about what she has done.”
Age 10- One of Sarah’s teenage cousins is arrested for possession of a small amount of marijuana. While he is not incarcerated, he is given probation and community service. Emily and Fergus become extremely strict and the atmosphere in the household is strained.
Communication is extremely limited and Sarah begins to feel increasingly isolated.
Age 11- Sarah continues to struggle in school, frequently falling behind her peer group in academic achievement. She also starts acting out emotionally in fits of anger or tears. She is sent to the school counselor who recommends she be placed in remedial courses. Her confidence in herself continues to decline. In addition, her poor grades, emotional outbursts, and poor communication skills make her the target of bullies.
Sarah starts to associate with a group of troublemakers who encourage her to shoplift and act out aggressively. She starts bullying younger kids at school.
Sarah’s behavior troubles Emily who seeks more help from school officials.
Age 13- Sarah continues her association with friends with whom she is now drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes. Emily catches Sarah and her friends doing this behind the house. Emily scolds Sarah and confiscates her cellphone and computer. Emily and Fergus, despite the protest of their children and Sarah, continue to increase the rigidity of the rules in the house.
Focusing mostly on the ages of 10-13
In this assignment, complete the following:
• Identify 2–3 specific life events that are important in Sarah’s life.
• Describe 2–3 behaviors that you consider a precursor to delinquency at this point in Sarah’s life.
• Describe the theory that you believe best explains the difficulty that Sarah is experiencing in her life.
• Identify 2–3 interventions that may be used at this point and how they can influence Sarah’s future toward delinquency. What if there are no interventions at this point? Explain your answer.
• Be sure to reference all sources from the textbook or external sources using American Psychological Association (APA) style.