NCJ Number
173370
Journal
Studies on Crime and Crime Prevention Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: 1997 Pages: 35-51
Date Published
1997
Length
17 pages
Annotation
One hundred eighty-nine violent inmates and 124 nonviolent inmates at a maximum-security prison in New York were surveyed in 1993 to determine whether parental quarreling can lead a child to future violent crime.
Abstract
The participants volunteered for the study and provided self-reports. Results revealed a strong relationship between violent offenders and parental quarreling experiences in childhood, especially in female rule-enforcing families. In addition, the violent offenders selected responses suggestive of parental secrets and experiences relating to childhood injuries more often than the nonviolent offenders did. The violent offenders were more likely than the nonviolent offenders to have lived in settings in which they lived in fear most of the time. Findings suggested that parents who continually quarrel steer a child to immediate gratification and loss of self-control, thereby inclining that child toward future violence. Therefore, early family intervention can be one method of curbing the rise of violent crime. However, more research is needed regarding quality family intervention and subsequent law-abiding behavior. Tables, footnotes, and 67 references (Author abstract modified)