Common, Temporary and Chronic Delinquencies. Prevention Strategies During Compulsory School (From Integrating Crime Prevention Strategies: Propensity and Opportunity, P 169-205, 1995, Per-Olof H Wikstrom, Ronald V. Clarke, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-164757)

• NCJ Number: 164765
• Author(s): M Le Blanc
• Date Published: 1995
• Length: 37 pages
• Sale Source: National Council for Crime Prevention
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Sweden
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

This paper identifies three major types of juvenile delinquency during the compulsory school years (common, temporary, and chronic) and proposes strategies to deal with juvenile delinquency that focus on the motivation and opportunity to offend.

Abstract

Common delinquency is a phenomenon of adolescence that manifests itself by acts of vandalism, minor theft and shoplifting, bullying, and experimentation with alcohol and soft drugs. Common delinquency can be prevented by actions that diminish the opportunity to commit crime and increase the guardianship of targets. Temporary delinquency is ephemeral because it is limited to adolescence. It appears that temporary delinquency is triggered by variations in the timing of puberty, family conflict and communication, and affiliation with deviant peers. Temporary delinquents present marked emotional problems and serious difficulties in their relationships with peers and adults. Multisystemic family intervention and individual and group counseling are suggested to reduce the problems of temporary delinquents. Chronic offending involves early onset and variations in crime frequency and seriousness and is a persistent behavior during childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Various strategies to prevent chronic offending are described. The importance of an integrated approach to prevent common, temporary, and chronic delinquency is emphasized. 116 references and 4 figures