NCJ Number
86510
Journal
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1982) Pages: 163-169
Date Published
1982
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Spontaneous self-reports from 165 male juveniles 16-17 years-old and committed to an Australian correctional institution reveal the small percentage of percentages for which youth are convicted.
Abstract
During the interviews with the sample, the juveniles were asked to recount all the offenses they had committed without getting caught by the police. After the exclusion of 49 'liars' from the sample, the self-reports were shown to have adequate validity and reliability for the purpose of interpretation. It was found that 50 percent of the delinquents 'get away with' at least 6 out of every 10 serious offenses they have committed, and 70 percent 'get away with' at least 4 out of 10 such offenses. The proportions of offenses in the major categories of violations that led to conviction were robbery (34 percent), assault (64 percent), break and enter to steal (25 percent), auto theft (6 percent), larceny (19 percent), and 'other offenses' (76 percent). Overall, about 14 percent of the offenses that were committed led to a conviction. Minor offenses were underreported or not reported at all, with the apparent reason being that the subjects perceived such behavior to be too trivial to report. The findings support two methodological propositions. First, cost/benefit analyses of preventive effects of detention cannot be meaningful if based on official statistics. Secondly, self-report surveys of delinquency, and in particular comparative studies of different socioeconomic and cultural groups, will produce more meaningful results if minor offenses are ignored and more serious offenses are considered. Tabular data and 27 references are provided. (Author summary modified)