NCJ Number
66277
Journal
Kriminalist Volume: 10 Issue: 12 Dated: (1978) Pages: 528-530,532
Date Published
1978
Length
4 pages
Annotation
THE CONNECTION BETWEEN ALCOHOL ABUSE AND JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IS ANALYZED FOR THE WEST GERMAN CITY OF HAMBURG.
Abstract
RECENT WEST GERMAN RESEARCH ON JUVENILE ALCOHOL ABUSE INDICATES THAT THE FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY OF ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION HAS INCREASED, THAT THE TREND TOWARDS HARD LIQUOR CONTINUES, AND THAT FEMALE JUVENILES AND FEMALE YOUNG ADULTS SHOW THE STEEPEST RISE IN ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION. IN ORDER TO GAIN INSIGHT INTO THE CONNECTION BETWEEN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, THE CITY OF HAMBURG ROUTINELY INCLUDES INFORMATION ON THE STATE OF INTOXICATION OF VIOLENT JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN ITS POLICE REPORTS. THE FIGURES COVERING A PERIOD OF 3 YEARS (UP TO 1978) CONFIRM THAT THE EFFECT OF ALCOHOL INCREASES FREQUENCY AND BRUTALITY OF VIOLENT OFFENSES. FOR INSTANCE, IN 1976, 336 VIOLENT JUVENILE SUSPECTS APPREHENDED AT THE SCENE OF THE CRIME (80.6 PERCENT OF THE 416 SURVEYED) WERE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL AT THE TIME OF THE OFFENSE. AN OVERALL TREND TOWARDS ALCOHOL ABUSE AND DELINQUENCY AT AN EARLIER AGE IS ALSO DETECTIBLE. A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE RECORDS OF JUVENILES ACTUALLY FOUND GUILTY OF CRIMES (BASED ON DATA SUPPLIED BY THE HAMBURG FORENSIC INSTITUTE IN 1976 AND 1977) SHOWED PROVEN ALCOHOL INVOLVEMENT IN ONLY 12.5 PERCENT OF THE JUVENILE OFFENSES. HOWEVER, THE DARK FIGURES INVOLVED ARE CONSIDERABLE SINCE BLOOD TESTS WERE ONLY TAKEN IF THE OFFENDERS WERE APPREHENDED UP TO 10 HOURS AFTER THE OFFENSE. A COMPARISON TO THE STATISTICS OF PREVIOUS YEARS INDICATES A STEADY INCREASE IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AND A GROWING AMOUNT OF ALCOHOL ABUSE. THE ARTICLE INCLUDES STATISTICAL CHARTS ON THE BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT OF JUVENILE AND YOUNG ADULT OFFENDERS AND ON THE PERCENTAGE OF INTOXICATED JUVENILE OFFENDERS AMONG OVERALL INTOXICATED OFFENDERS IN THE CITY OF HAMBURG. --IN GERMAN. (SAJ)