Impact of Delinquency on Adolescent Attitudes and Self-Image (From Law and the Legal Process, P 119-130, 1982, Victoria L Swigert, ed. - See NCJ-88682)

• NCJ Number: 88686
• Author(s): S K Datesman
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 12 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76-JN-99-0012
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Sale Source: Sage Publications, Inc
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Earlier version was prepared for presentation at the 1981 Annual Meetings of the American Society of Criminology, Washington, D.C., November.

Annotation

This study examines the relative effects of official and self-reported delinquency on adolescent attitudes and self-images as well as the consequences of labeling reinforcement or subsquent encounters with the justice system for attitudes and self-images.

Abstract

The analysis is based on data collected in Delaware as part of a national evaluation of deinstitutionalization programs for status offenders. Over 15 months, all status offenders processed by specialized intake units within the statewide juvenile court system were eligible for inclusion in the evaluation sample. All eligible youth were given an initial interview shortly after intake for the instant status offense and again 6 months later. The measure of self-image consisted of 22 items from the social adjustment schedule which were factor analyzed to determine the underlying dimensionality of the construct. Attitudes toward the police and the law were measured by single items from the social adjustment schedule, and self-reported delinquency was measured by 28 items covering a variety of delinquent and status offenses. A stronger relationship was found between self-reported delinquency and a youth's attitudes toward self and toward the justice system than between official delinquency and these attitudes. Official delinquency, however, is significantly related to self-image as a delinquent for juveniles who experienced relabeling by the justice system within 6 months of their first referral to court. This suggests that the first few contacts with the justice system may be the most significant in their impact on a youth's self-image as a delinquent. The research offers support for the conclusion that labeling effects are not as sweeping or as negative as early proponents maintained; however, the effects of official intervention cannot be discounted entirely. Tabular data and 32 references are provided.