© Laureate Education, Inc. Page 1 of 3 Criminal Justice Case Studies: Juvenile Delinquency and Justice Week 2 A high school freshman creates a fake social media account for the purpose of tricking another student. The fake account is used to show romantic interest in the targeted teen, and many deceptive techniques are used to make the targeted teen think that the fake account actually belongs to a real person. The holder of the fake account eventually reveals the trick, posting screenshots on a popular social media platform of embarrassing texts and admissions by the targeted teen. A few days later, the targeted teen waits for the cyberbully outside of school and physically attacks the cyberbully, sending the cyberbully to the hospital. The parents of the cyberbully want to press charges against the targeted teen. Week 3 Before the beginning of a school day, law enforcement arrest a 15-year-old student who attends the local high school. Students, teachers, and even family members describe the student as a “loner.” Some students do not even recognize the student, while others are unaware of his name or refer to him in derogatory terms. The student does have a small group of fellow students with whom he socializes sometimes during lunch, but it’s unclear whether these are friendships outside of school. Teachers describe the student as a good student but quiet. One of the student’s lunchtime acquaintances refers investigators to a website where the student posts frequently under a screen name, sharing tips for hacking and also anti-government views. The student is arrested for hacking into multiple government websites, including the Department of Defense and other highly secure areas. Continued next page. Criminal Justice Case Studies: Juvenile Delinquency and Justice © Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 3 Week 4 A 15-year-old holds up a corner convenience store using a gun. Although the offender threatened the clerk with the gun, no one was injured. The 15-year-old has no prior record. The offender did run from police when he spotted them coming up the walk to his house, but once apprehended, he did not resist arrest in any other way. The father of the offender is currently serving a prison sentence for assault, and he has a prior arrest for drug possession. The son reports that he recalls his father being intoxicated, often not home, and belligerent when present. The offender’s mother works two jobs, and therefore the offender is without supervision for long periods. The mother does not have any criminal record. Upon contact, she was concerned about her son. However, she said that she could not come to an intake meeting conference at the requested time for fear of being fired from her job. The offender’s grandmother lived in the same apartment with the offender and his mother, providing supervision, but she died one year ago. Since the grandmother’s death, the off.

1. © Laureate Education, Inc. Page 1 of 3
Criminal Justice Case Studies: Juvenile Delinquency and Justice
Week 2
A high school freshman creates a fake social media account for
the purpose of tricking
another student. The fake account is used to show romantic
interest in the targeted
teen, and many deceptive techniques are used to make the
targeted teen think that the
fake account actually belongs to a real person. The holder of the
fake account
eventually reveals the trick, posting screenshots on a popular
social media platform of
embarrassing texts and admissions by the targeted teen. A few
days later, the targeted
teen waits for the cyberbully outside of school and physically
attacks the cyberbully,
sending the cyberbully to the hospital. The parents of the
cyberbully want to press
charges against the targeted teen.
Week 3

2. Before the beginning of a school day, law enforcement arrest a
15-year-old student who
attends the local high school. Students, teachers, and even
family members describe
the student as a “loner.” Some students do not even recognize
the student, while others
are unaware of his name or refer to him in derogatory terms.
The student does have a
small group of fellow students with whom he socializes
sometimes during lunch, but it’s
unclear whether these are friendships outside of school.
Teachers describe the student
as a good student but quiet. One of the student’s lunchtime
acquaintances refers
investigators to a website where the student posts frequently
under a screen name,
sharing tips for hacking and also anti-government views.
The student is arrested for hacking into multiple government
websites, including the
Department of Defense and other highly secure areas.
Continued next page.
Criminal Justice Case Studies: Juvenile Delinquency and Justice
© Laureate Education, Inc. Page 2 of 3
Week 4
A 15-year-old holds up a corner convenience store using a gun.
Although the offender

3. threatened the clerk with the gun, no one was injured. The 15-
year-old has no prior
record. The offender did run from police when he spotted them
coming up the walk to
his house, but once apprehended, he did not resist arrest in any
other way.
The father of the offender is currently serving a prison sentence
for assault, and he has
a prior arrest for drug possession. The son reports that he
recalls his father being
intoxicated, often not home, and belligerent when present.
The offender’s mother works two jobs, and therefore the
offender is without supervision
for long periods. The mother does not have any criminal record.
Upon contact, she was
concerned about her son. However, she said that she could not
come to an intake
meeting conference at the requested time for fear of being fired
from her job. The
offender’s grandmother lived in the same apartment with the
offender and his mother,
providing supervision, but she died one year ago.
Since the grandmother’s death, the offender has been suspended
from school for a
minor altercation and is frequently truant. Prior to the
grandmother’s death, the offender
had good attendance.
The offender does admit to the crime but will not provide
information about how the gun
was acquired; however, it likely was acquired from another
youth in the neighborhood.

4. Continued next page.
Criminal Justice Case Studies: Juvenile Delinquency and Justice
© Laureate Education, Inc. Page 3 of 3
Week 5
Adam, a 16-year-old student at the local high school, has had
multiple run-ins with law
enforcement, beginning with a shoplifting arrest. The store in
that first arrest dropped
the charges, and Adam made restitution for what he had stolen.
Within the next year, it
became apparent that Adam had a drug problem, as a teacher
reported finding drug
paraphernalia on his person and his mother revealed finding
drugs around the house.
Adam was then picked up for possession of a controlled
substance. Adam attended
outpatient treatment in lieu of being charged, where he revealed
that he had been
selling small amounts of drugs to some classmates. He also
revealed that his abusive
father had left some time ago and that his mother also suffered
from drug addiction,
often leaving drugs out in the open.

5. After a fight outside a high school football game led to his
injuring another student,
Adam was sent to various intervention programs to address his
drug use and
sometimes violent behavior. He rebounded for a time, attending
school more regularly
and, according to those around him, staying clean. However, in
recent months, Adam
has fallen in with a crowd of 18- and 19-year-olds who are part
of a regional crystal
meth operation.
Adam arrives before you after having shot and critically
wounded a rival drug dealer.