NCJ Number
134933
Date Published
1992
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Although juvenile delinquency as a legal category is a relatively recent invention, there is a long history of concern for the misbehavior of young people, as well as an enduring tendency to view juvenile crime as a major dimension of the crime problem.
Abstract
The view that certain categories of juveniles are quite commonly involved in crime is supported by police and court statistics and by behavioral reports in surveys of juveniles. However, it should be emphasized that juveniles are distinct in their high arrest rates for property offenses, the group nature of offenses by juveniles may exaggerate their contribution to crime, juvenile representation in arrest statistics peaked around 1978 and declined through the mid-1980s when it rose again, and juveniles are underrepresented in numerous types of crime that have a higher economic cost than juvenile property crimes. Juvenile delinquency is one dimension of the crime problem but there are reasonable grounds for challenging the view that it is the most serious or primary dimension. Yet, the study of juvenile delinquency is the study of an important part of the crime problem, particularly because adult crime and juvenile delinquency can feed on each other. Such study is also a convenient vehicle for learning about human behavior and provides a foundation for making personal choices. Moreover, the study of juvenile delinquency has been central to the scientific discipline of criminology. Defining criminology as the scientific and critical study of lawmaking, lawbreaking, and reactions to lawbreaking, the authors summarize issues, theories, and research relevant to the study of juvenile delinquency. 64 references and 3 figures