NCJ Number
109150
Journal
Japanese Journal of Sociological Criminology Issue: 12 Dated: (1987) Pages: 142-157
Date Published
1987
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Official statistics on juvenile delinquents in Japan and South Korea were compared to determine trends in delinquency and in responses to it in the two nations.
Abstract
The justice systems and data collection methods are similar in the two nations, because the Korean system is largely modeled after that of Japan. The rates of juvenile delinquency have risen in Japan since 1969 and in Korea since 1971. In Japan, tolerance of juvenile delinquents has declined, and younger juveniles and female juveniles are now more often caught by the police, even if they commit only minor offenses. However, suppressing serious offenses might incur a cost in terms of the overall freedom of juveniles. The nation has extensive and well-organized delinquency prevention activities. In Korea, social control agencies focus on investigating adult crime and serious juvenile crime. Resources do not exist for investigating many minor juvenile offenders. The formal tolerance of juvenile deviants has not declined as much as it has in Japan. Data tables and 21 notes.