NCJ Number
55987
Date Published
1976
Length
8 pages
Annotation
THE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF A 14-YEAR-OLD MENTALLY HANDICAPPED DELINQUENT YOUNGSTER ILLUSTRATES THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT LEADING TO INSTITUTIONALIZATION AND BANDITRY.
Abstract
THE YOUTH, JOSEPH, IS THE PRODUCT OF RURAL ENVIRONMENT. HIS FAMILY IS DOMINATED BY HIS FATHER, AS HIS MOTHER IS FEEBLE-MINDED AND UNABLE TO HOLD A JOB. THE FATHER HAS A DEFORMITY, DRINKS HEAVILY, HAS NOT HELD A JOB FOR YEARS, AND IS A KNOWN THIEF. THE FAMILY LIVES ON WELFARE AND DISABILITY PAYMENTS; CLOTHES ARE SENT BY RELATIVES. SIX OF SEVEN CHILDREN LIVE AT HOME IN A SMALL TWO-ROOM HOUSE. JOSEPH SUFFERS FROM ANXIETY PROBLEMS SUCH AS INSOMNIA, AN ACTIVE IMAGINATION, AND AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR. HE HAS BEEN STEALING SINCE THE AGE OF SEVEN AND CONTINUES TO DO SO WHEN INSTITUTIONALIZED, NOT LEARNING FROM PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES OR REACTING TO PUNISHMENT; COMRADES, TEACHERS, AND SCHOOL PERSONNEL ARE THE VICTIMS OF HIS CAREFULLY PLANNED THEFTS. AS A RESULT OF SUCH BEHAVIOR HE IS LABELED AS A BAD INFLUENCE AND A HOPELESS CASE. RESEARCHERS' OBSERVATIONS SUGGEST THAT JOSEPH, LIKE HIS FATHER, STEALS TO GAIN ATTENTION AS AN INDIVIDUAL. CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CONDITION ARE THE IMPORTANCE OF MONEY AND JOSEPH'S REFUSAL TO DEVELOP CONCRETE PERCEPTIONS OR TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GROUP. ACCORDING TO THIS EXAMPLE, NOT THEFT, BUT THE STIGMA ATTACHED TO AN INDIVIDUAL IS WHAT MAKES HIM A 'BANDIT' IN THE EYES OF THE GROUP. GROUP IDENTITY IS BASED ON LAW, AND THE GROUP REJECTS BANDITS AFTER DISCOVERING THEIR LAWLESS EXISTENCE. BANDITS CONTINUES TO FOLLOW NEGATIVE ROLE MODELS TO DEFINE THEIR RELATIONSHIPS TO THE GROUP, WHILE THE GROUP PERSISTS IN CONSTRUCTING SOCIAL NORMS AND REJECTING NONCONFORMISTS IN ORDER TO SOLIDIFY THEIR COHESION. INSTITUTIONS, WHICH ARE THEMSELVES MICROSOCIETIES, FUNCTION ACCORDING TO THE SAME PRINCIPLES. --IN FRENCH. (KMD)