NCJ Number
183226
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2000 Pages: 292-311
Date Published
June 2000
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This study examines adolescent offenders’ perspectives, especially how they define, interpret, and, in some cases, justify their delinquent behaviors.
Abstract
The study used grounded theory methodology to examine the cognitive, affective, moral, sociocultural and situational components that influence how and why adolescents commit crimes. A theory of delinquent crime contexts emerged from interviews with 24 adolescent males. The article focuses on three of those crime contexts: the emotion-driven violent assault, the belief-driven violent assault, and the mixed-motive mixed-crime contexts. The study provides useful information about possible emotions and cognitions associated with delinquent crimes. From a research perspective, these data are significant in that they facilitate development of a theory of crime contexts as defined by crime type and delinquent cognition and emotions. These data also have implications for practice and policy issues. They can help educators, psychologists, probation officers, politicians, and other professionals to better understand the processes whereby adolescents commit delinquent offenses. Table, references