COMPARATIVE STUDY OF DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR MANIFESTATIONS IN 100 DELINQUENT AND 100 NON-DELINQUENT NEGRO BOYS

• NCJ Number: 18964
• Author(s): M H DIGGS
• Date Published: 1946
• Length: 130 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

THIS STUDY INVESTIGATED WHETHER NON-DELINQUENT AND DELINQUENT NEGRO BOYS EQUATED FOR AGE, INTELLIGENCE, AND AREA OF RESIDENCE REVEALED DIFFERENCES IN SELECTED TEST SCORES AND BEHAVIOR AND BACKGROUND VARIABLES.

Abstract

AN 'IDEAL TYPE' METHODOLOGY WAS EMPLOYED IN WHICH IT WAS PRESUMED THAT IF DIFFERENCES REALLY EXIST BETWEEN DELINQUENT AND NON-DELINQUENT BOYS, THEY WOULD BE MORE LIABLE TO APPEAR IF EACH GROUP REPRESENTED BEHAVIOR EXTREMES. THEREFORE, BOYS WHO HAD COMMITTED SEVERAL THEFTS WERE COMPARED TO SIMILAR BOYS WHO WERE REGARDED IN THE COMMUNITY AS CONSPICUOUS NON-DELINQUENTS. THE GROUPS WERE EXAMINED FOR DIFFERENCES IN FAMILY ORGANIZATION AND COMPLETENESS, ECONOMIC STATUS, HOME ENVIRONMENT, AND PARTICIPATION IN NEIGHBORHOOD GANGS AND PLAY GROUPS. TESTS USED IN THE STUDY WERE BELL'S ADJUSTMENT INVENTORY, LOOFBOUROW-KEYS'S PERSONAL INDEX OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR TENDENCIES, STOGDILL'S DELINQUENCY INTERVIEW, AND LEAHY'S HOME STATUS INDEX. IT WAS FOUND THAT THE HOME ENVIRONMENT OF THE NON-DELINQUENT WAS SUPERIOR IN EVERY RESPECT TO THAT OF THE DELINQUENT, WITH THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE BEING IN THE AREA OF CHILDREN'S FACILITIES PROVIDED, AND ECONOMIC STATUS. THEY DIFFERED LEAST IN CULTURAL AND OCCUPATIONAL STATUS. THE HOME ENVIRONMENT OF BOTH GROUPS WAS CONSIDERABLY LOWER THAN THE MINIMUM AVERAGE ESTABLISHED BY LEAHY. NON-DELINQUENT BOYS REVEALED MORE PERSONAL DISTURBANCE AND UNHAPPINESS IN THEIR RELATIONS TO COMMON AMERICAN SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS THE SCHOOL, THE POLICE, AND COURTS. IT WAS FOUND THAT THEY PARTICIPATED IN THE SAME TYPES OF DELINQUENCY AS DID THE DELINQUENTS, THE DIFFERENCE BEING IN THE EXTENT OF THE PARTICIPATION, AND THE EXISTENCE IN THEIR HOMES OF INTERESTED PARENTS AND RELATIVES WHO INTERVENE WHEN THERE HAS BEEN SOCIAL MISADVENTURING, AND WHO SMOOTH OUT SUCH DIFFICULTIES BEFORE THEY HAVE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO COME TO THE ATTENTION OF OFFICERS OF THE LAW. IN GENERAL ADJUSTMENT BOTH GROUPS WERE VERY SIMILAR, WITH THE SLIGHT FAVORABLE MARGIN GOING TO THE NON-DELINQUENT. HOWEVER, THIS FINDING WAS NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)