NCJ Number
155923
Editor(s)
C Henricson
Date Published
1994
Length
72 pages
Annotation
These conference presentations focus on the relationships within families as a factor in juvenile delinquency and its prevention.
Abstract
The conference was attended by some 300 delegates, including politicians, government administrators, academics, journalists, the legal profession, magistrates, social service departments, educators, and a variety of professionals and lobbyists involved in supporting families. Conference presentations examined the latest research and reviews of practical interventions in Europe and the United States. Keynote addresses were given by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal and the Home Secretary. Drawing on her experience of working with Crime Concern and the Save the Children Fund, the Princess Royal emphasized the importance of promoting and evaluating family support programs that can be replicated. The Home Secretary described the work being done by the Home Office in family services. A number of presentations examined social mores and family lifestyles in the 20th Century and their impact on criminal activity by juveniles. A presentation described experiments in behavior modification among families with aggressive children. There was a consensus among presenters that although there are a number of factors that influence the development of delinquency, the pivotal influence is the family dynamic, centered in the supervisory relationship between parent and child and the capacity of parents to monitor and respond to their children's actions, thereby encouraging socially adjusted behavior. Suggestions for ways to improve families' abilities to socialize their children focus on parental training, family support programs, and preschool education. References accompany the presentations.