NCJ Number
140517
Date Published
1994
Length
65 pages
Annotation
This monograph reviews the research literature on the extent to which family life may directly contribute to the development of delinquent and criminal tendencies.
Abstract
The report is divided into two primary sections. The first section examines how negative parental involvement or parental noninvolvement with their children may lead to juvenile delinquency. The second section discusses how family-life involvement by an adult criminal or an adult at high risk for criminal activities may inhibit the likelihood of criminal activities. The study draws three conclusions about the continuity of offense patterns across the life course. First, the research demonstrates that behavioral problems during childhood predict subsequent delinquency and criminality. Some of these behavioral problems apparently stem from various forms of parental/family involvement. Children rejected by parents are among the most likely to become delinquent; marital discord and conflict as well as child abuse correlate with delinquency. A child with criminal parents faces a greater likelihood of becoming a delinquent than children with law-abiding parents. Second, although behavioral problems in childhood apparently predict delinquency, most juvenile offenders subsequently stop such behavior. Third, the road to criminality is complex and contains multiple pathways. 317 references