COOK COUNTY (IL) - TELEVISION VIEWING BY JUVENILE OFFENDERS

• NCJ Number: 63933
• Author(s): S MILLER
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 26 pages
• Corporate Author: Cook Cty Circuit Court
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A SURVEY OF 180 JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN COOK COUNTY, ILL. TO DETERMINE THEIR TELEVISION VIEWING HABITS.

Abstract

PROBATION OFFICERS IN THE COMPLAINT SCREENING DIVISION OF THE JUVENILE COURT SELECTED AND INTERVIEWED SOME OF THE YOUTHS REFERRED FOR DELINQUENT AND STATUS OFFENSES, REGARDLESS OF THE PLEA OR COMPLAINT-SCREENING DISPOSITION. BASED ON THE SEVERITY OF THE CHARGED OFFENSE, THE SAMPLE WAS DIVIDED INTO 106 NONVIOLENT OFFENDERS AND 74 VIOLENT OFFENDERS. THE SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO IDENTIFY PREFERRED TELEVISION PROGRAMS, FREQUENCY OF PROGRAM VIEWING, AND PROGRAMS VIEWED ON THE DAY OF THE CHARGED OFFENSE. PROGRAMS WERE CLASSIFIED AS VIOLENT OR NONVIOLENT BASED ON THE NATIONAL PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION'S DEFINITIONS AND RATINGS FOR PRIME-TIME SHOWS. RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE TOP 10 PROGRAMS FOR THE JUVENILE OFFENDERS DID INCLUDE MORE VIOLENT SHOWS THAN THE TOP 10 PROGRAMS WATCHED BY ALL YOUTHS, ACCORDING TO NIELSEN RATINGS. THERE WERE NO DIFFERENCES IN THE NUMBER OF VIOLENT PROGRAMS VIEWED BY WHITE AND BLACK JUVENILE OFFENDERS. NEITHER WERE THERE DIFFERENCES IN VIEWING HABITS OF VIOLENT AND NONVIOLENT OFFENDERS. THE APPENDIXES CONTAIN A DESCRIPTION OF THE POPULATION SAMPLE AND A COPY OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--RCB)