NCJ Number
116607
Journal
Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: (Spring 1985) Pages: 11-16,34
Date Published
1985
Length
7 pages
Annotation
In examining the relationships between delinquent behavior and the labor market experiences of teenagers, this study analyzed the responses of 12,686 youths in the 1980 New Youth Survey of the National Longitudinal Surveys of Labor Market Experience.
Abstract
The youths interviewed were representative of the civilian, noninstitutional population of the United States between the ages of 15 and 17 as of January 1979. Information analyzed and discussed in this paper was obtained from a self-reported delinquent behavior sample survey. A delinquency profile was developed using the 10 most frequently self-reported delinquent acts committed by the participants. Eight response categories were used to determine a respondent's current labor force status. The delinquency category was cross-tabulated with the delinquency index by the following variates: gender, race, age, suspension from school, current residence, and living in a standard metropolitan statistical area. With few exceptions, the work records of self-reported offenders compared well with self-reported nondelinquent youth. Those who had been processed by the criminal justice system, however, tended to have employment problems occasioned by the adverse perceptions of employers, employment and training assistance agencies, and educational agencies. These findings suggest that intervention must focus on making employers, job training agencies, and educational agencies aware of the importance of upgrading the vocational capabilities of youth who have a history of contact with the criminal justice system. 4 tables, 49 references.