Explaining Adolescent Delinquency in Albania A Theoretical Approach to the Phenomenon

Abstract

These last fifteen years, Albania is experiencing one of the most challenging phenomena of the post-communist period:
juvenile delinquency. Is it a social context issue or does it depend on micro-factors such as family, school or neighborhood? The
understanding of the causes and criminal patterns of juvenile delinquency is essential to determine the right treatment of the offender, as
well as the prevention process and must be based on an understanding of the causal mechanisms of the phenomenon. The purpose of
this article is to explain causes of adolescent delinquency in Albania by reviewing and exploring theories of juvenile delinquency.
Comparisons will be drawn between theories to better understand the phenomenon and its trends. Changes in Albanian society still in
transition, and relevant other factors are taken into consideration to describe theories and explain recent findings in the Albanian context.
The article tries to answer the question: “what causes delinquency among adolescents?” by analyzing patterns of offending in
adolescence years. It is based on the assumption that factors such as association with delinquent peer groups, school dropout, absent
or authoritative parenting, previous involvement in the juvenile justice system, become the most distinguished during this period of age.
The findings suggest that the contributing factors that make an adolescent delinquent are numerous and varied and often complexly
interwoven in a single case. One single theory cannot explain the complex of conditions and circumstances producing delinquency.