Culturally Specific Delinquency Programs

In the United States, minority group members are disproportionately represented as victims and offenders in the criminal justice system. Culturally specific delinquency programs have as their objectives to prevent and/or stop delinquent behavior.

Culturally specific delinquency programs consist of both prevention and treatment modules whereby the racial and/or ethnic identities of youths are incorporated as a necessary component of the response to delinquent behavior. To that end, specific elements of a culture (e.g., language, family norms, religion, gender, work ethic) are used such that adolescents from various backgrounds may more readily identify with program objectives and goals within the context of their own social experiences. President John F. Kennedy in 1964 termed the United States a “nation of immigrants.” Once thought a melting pot whereby racial, ethnic, and various subordinate groups would “give up” their cultural heritage and conform to an Anglo-Protestant core culture, the United States has evolved more into a culturally pluralist society whereby various groups retain elements of their cultural heritage. Thus, culturally competent organizations recognize that one size does not fit all when it comes to establishing effective delinquency prevention and/or treatment programs and include diverse culturally relevant elements in their approaches to delinquency.

Early immigrants inherited the city's inner core and found themselves experiencing higher levels of disease, death, and crime than residents who lived outside of the city's inner sphere. To that end, programs intent on relieving these social ills focused upon emerging cultural and social class elements among inhabitants of the areas. Similar types of programming are needed today.

Tobler in 1992 reported that culturally specific delinquency programs designed to address delinquency among African American adolescents are often Afrocentric in focus and multilevel, involving various entities of the community, including families, schools, churches, and the juvenile justice system. Moreover, Boyd-Franklin in 1990 and Turner in 1995 noted that such programs focus upon transitions to manhood and womanhood while incorporating cultural elements that highlight spirituality and religion, flexibility and adaptability of familial roles, extended family networks, educational attainment, effective economic and social coping strategies, and a strong work ethic.

Caetano in 1989 noted that Hispanics or Latinos in the United States originate from at least 50 different countries, with major cultural, language, geographical, and social differences among them. Additionally, Dumka, Lopez, and Carter in 2002 proposed that delinquency programs focusing upon Hispanic and/or Latino youth consider the aforementioned factors as well as socioeconomic, acculturation, and gender differences while denoting the emphasis placed upon family, familial support, and the use of family as their primary reference group.

Lee in 1990 noted that Asian populations in the United States encompass more than 60 distinct groups, many with very disparate cultures. Thus, Ho in 1992 recommended that prevention programs targeting Asians consider acculturation, bicultural, and class differences in conjunction with family traditions, structure, and help-seeking behavior.

Edwards and Edwards in 1990 noted that delinquency intervention programs for Native adolescents should incorporate family, clan, and/ or tribal members in both planning and delivery of the program. Additionally, Oetting, Beauvais, and Edwards in 1988 suggested such programs include cultural pride and competency, problem solving, recreational, academic, leadership development, and alcohol- and drug-free lifestyle components.

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