When you compare the delinquency crime rates today against what they were back in the early 90’s, the percentage is lower but the overall numbers are still high. There are two categories of sociological theories of delinquency: social strain and cultural transmission. These theories look beyond the individual in seeking causal explanations and place juveniles and their behavior in a larger sociological context for understanding.
According to Robert Agnew, he views social strain as a direct result from crime and delinquency which is related to stress. Agnew (1992, 2001) identifies three major sources of stress that lead to social strain:
1. There is a distinct link between the means and the goals or between expectations and actual