NCJ Number
9197
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 19 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1973) Pages: 41-48
Date Published
1973
Length
8 pages
Annotation
EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND LABELING OF DELINQUENCY BEHAVIOR AS IT RELATES TO FORMAL AND INFORMAL CORRECTIVE INTERVENTION.
Abstract
A NUMBER OF INTERVENTION ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN DESIGNED AND IMPLEMENTED ON THE BASIS OF THE ASSUMED VALIDITY OF PREDICTIVE INSTRUMENTS AND TECHNIQUES. THE POSITION TAKEN IN THIS PAPER IS THAT NO ACCURATE ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF INTERVENTION ACTIVITIES CAN BE MADE WITHOUT AWARENESS OF THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN POTENTIALLY DELINQUENT, PREDELINQUENT, AND DELINQUENT CHILDRENSPECIFICALLY, THE UNDERLYING ASSUMPTIONS OF THESE LABELS AND THE PROCESSES AND RELATED CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR USE. THE CONCLUSION IS REACHED THAT THE 'POTENTIAL DELINQUENT' LABEL IS VIRTUALLY USELESS FOR PRACTICAL APPLICATION AND THAT CORRECTIVE INTERVENTION BASED ON THE ASSIGNMENT OF THAT LABEL IS TOTALLY UNJUSTIFIED. CONSIDERATION IS GIVEN TO THE RELATIVE UTILITY OF FORMAL INSTITUTIONAL SYSTEMS, AS OPPOSED TO INFORMAL SYSTEMS, FOR THE DELIVERY OF CORRECTIVE INTERVENTION SERVICES TO PREDELINQUENT AND DELINQUENT YOUTH. THE PAPER DESCRIBES THE FUNCTIONS OF PERSONS OPERATING OUTSIDE OF THE SYSTEM TO LINK THE SERVICES OF THE COMMUNITY AND THE NEEDS OF THE YOUTH. THESE ARE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PEOPLE WITH A TALENT FOR LOCATING RESOURCES AND GETTING THINGS DONE, WHICH CANNOT EASILY BE ACCOMPLISHED BY THOSE WHO ARE PART OF THE INSTITUTIONALIZED SYSTEM.