NCJ Number
49739
Date Published
1977
Length
188 pages
Annotation
SELF-ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRES GIVEN TO 2,249 PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE FALL AND SPRING OF THE 1975-1976 SCHOOL YEAR TESTED DETERRENT VERSUS LABELING EFFECTS OF JUVENILE JUSTICE. NEITHER IS FULLY UPHELD.
Abstract
DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM RANDOMLY SELECTED CLASSES OF STUDENTS IN GRADES 8-12 IN THE PORTSMOUTH AND VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOLS. ROUGHLY EQUAL NUMBERS OF RESPONSES WERE OBTAINED FOR EACH GRADE LEVEL. STUDENTS WERE ASKED TO SPECIFY THEIR SEX, AGE, AND RACE, BUT OTHERWISE DATA WAS OBTAINED ANONYMOUSLY. RESULTS INDICATE THAT FAR MORE DELINQUENT ACTS ARE COMMITTED THAN EVER COME TO THE ATTENTION OF THE FORMAL JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. (MORE THAN HALF OF THE STUDENTS REPORTED STEALING AN ITEM VALUED AT LESS THAN $2 WHILE 25 PERCENT HAD STOLEN AN ITEM VALUED $2-50.) IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT PAST BEHAVIOR WAS PREDICTIVE OF FUTURE BEHAVIOR. AMONG THOSE COMMITTING DELINQUENT ACTS, FEAR OF GETTING CAUGHT WAS NOT A STRONG DETERRENT, AND ONLY 10 PERCENT FELT THAT THE LIVES OF CHILDREN WHO HAVE A CONTACT WITH THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE RUINED. SEX, AGE, AND RACE PLAYED SOME PART IN POLICE AND COURT HANDLING OF AN ACT BUT THE EFFECTS OF THESE FACTORS WERE NOT AS STRONG AS PREVIOUSLY REPORTED. CONTACT WITH THE LEGAL SYSTEM GENERALLY LEFT JUVENILES WITH NEGATIVE ATTITUDES ABOUT THEMSELVES AND SOCIETY, GIVING SUPPORT TO THE LABELING THEORY. THE EFFECTS OF LEGAL INTERVENTION WERE NOT, HOWEVER, AS SERIOUS AS PROPONENTS OF THE LABELING THEORY SUGGEST. THE STUDY ALSO ELABORATES THE FOLLOWING: (1) THE THEORIES OF DETERRENCE VERSUS LABELING; (2) METHODOLOGY APPLIED TO THE RESEARCH ON BOTH THE DETERRENCE AND THE LABELING ASPECTS OF JUVENILE JUSTICE; (3) AMOUNT OF DELINQUENCY FOUND BY THE RESEARCH AND THE PATTERNS OF DELINQUENCY REPORTED; (4) THE EFFECTS OF RACE, AGE, AND SEX UPON THE DETECTION OF DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR; AND (5) THE EFFECTS OF LEGAL SANCTIONS ON SELF-CONCEPT AND ATTITUDES TOWARD THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. STUDY DATA ARE PRESENTED IN A SERIES OF TABLES. AN APPENDIX PRESENTS RESPONSE DISTRIBUTIONS, FACTOR LOADINGS, AND OTHER DATA FOR EACH QUESTIONNAIRE ITEM. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS INCLUDED.