NCJ Number
182125
Journal
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume: 44 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2000 Pages: 178-193
Editor(s)
George B. Palermo M.D.
Date Published
April 2000
Length
16 pages
Annotation
This study explored the influence of maltreatment on serious violent and property delinquency and on minor misbehavior offenses among a sample of white male delinquents in Idaho.
Abstract
The study sample consisted of 489 white males processed by juvenile probation authorities in several Idaho counties. Although all files contained information on the current status of the juvenile's family structure, files in 101 cases in which homes were broken did not indicate how the home was broken. The elimination of these cases left 388 cases for analysis. Maltreatment had a greater impact on violent delinquency than type of family structure, socioeconomic status, verbal IQ, family size, or birth order. Maltreatment was the third most important variable in property crime and misbehavior categories, but in both instances maltreatment was significantly related. Even though the effects of maltreatment were small in terms of variance explained, when averaged across violent, property, and misbehavior categories, maltreatment was the most powerful predictor of overall delinquency. 44 references, 2 notes, and 3 tables