NCJ Number
73917
Journal
ANNALES DE VAUCRESSON Dated: special issue (1979) Pages: 393-412
Date Published
1979
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This paper focuses on the argument that the reeducation and social reintegration of juvenile delinquents is possible only if their families undergo some sort of therapeutic counseling or treatment as well.
Abstract
To understand the family dynamics of juvenile offenders, the meaning of the term criminogenic transaction must be clarified: in this context it simply means an act or form of behavior prohibited by law. It does not imply that either the young offender or the members of his family necessarily fit into some form of criminal typology. Based on the recognition that the lifestyles and configurations of some families are bound to produce delinquent behavior in some of their members, particularly adolescents, therapeutic counseling was arranged for the families of juvenile offenders assigned to an institution. Social workers visited the families in their homes; the families were also asked to attend weekly meetings at the institution with the director and the resident psychologist. The findings resulting from these sessions, to which -surprisingly -- the families of the juveniles willingly agreed, are presented here. The discussion of these findings includes the concepts of enthropy; symmetry; the role of family secrets; Bateson's theories of spiritual ecology; the faulty relationships between members of schizophrenic families, in which children are often used as referees and mediators in parental disputes; intrafamily communication modes; the split double bind and contrary injunctions theories. It became obvious that while family therapeutic counseling does not resolve all conflicts, it represents the first step toward treatment of the problems of the juvenile offenders and their families through an understanding of their criminogenic environments. Ten endnotes contain bibliographic references.