NCJ Number
69336
Date Published
1980
Length
30 pages
Annotation
FINDINGS FROM THIS INTERNATIONAL REVIEW OF YOUTH CRIME AND DELINQUENCY SHOW THAT WHEN DELINQUENCY AND YOUTH CRIME ARE HIGH, YOUTHS TEND TO HAVE AN ISOLATED PATTERN OF ROLE RELATIONSHIP CREATED BY EXTERNAL, STRUCTURAL SOCIETAL CONDITIONS.
Abstract
A STUDY OF DELINQUENCY RATES AND TRENDS SHOWS A RAPIDLY AND SYSTEMATIC INCREASE INTERNATIONALLY WITH PEAK INVOLVEMENT AT AGES 15 THROUGH 17. DELINQUENCY AND CRIME HAVE STATISTICALLY INCREASED WITH URBANIZATION AND INDUSTRIALIZATION. UNEMPLOYMENT HAS ALSO BEEN SHOWN TO CORRELATE HIGHLY WITH DELINQUENCY. THIS ECONOMIC ISOLATION HAS, IN ESSENCE, LENGTHENED CHILDHOOD TO WHERE THE SOCIAL REALITIES OF INTEGRATION ARE IN CONFLICT WITH THE INDIVIDUAL'S PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT. IN ADDITION, THE ROLE OF INCREASED LEISURE IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IS INSEPARABLE FROM THE PROBLEMS OF EDUCATION, MENTAL HYGIENE, AND SOCIAL INTEGRATION. FURTHER, THE SOCIAL ISOLATION OF YOUTH IS A FUNCTION OF THE INTEGRATING INSTITUTIONS IN SOCIETY WHO EFFECTIVELY COOPT YOUTH. IN DELINQUENCY STUDIES, THE FAMILY IS CONSIDERED AN IMPORTANT INFLUENCE BECAUSE OF ITS EARLY SOCIALIZATION ROLE IN SHAPING VALUES, MORALITY AND BEHAVIOR, AND BECAUSE IT INFLUENCES THE EXPOSURE AND IMPORTANCE OF OTHER NORM-DEFINING REFERENCE GROUPS. STUDIES HAVE ALSO SHOWN THAT LOW ACHIEVEMENT IN SCHOOL IS DIRECTLY RELATED TO DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR BECAUSE THE SCHOOL IS WHERE PROBLEMS OF STATUS AND COMPETITION ARE VISIBLE FOR THIS CRIME-PRONE AGE GROUP. THUS, PROBLEMS IN SCHOOL MAY BE A CONTINUATION OF EXTENDING THE PERIOD OF ADOLESCENCE AND KEEPING YOUTHS OUT OF THE LABOR FORCE. FINALLY, EMPLOYMENT, SCHOOL, FAMILY, AND PEERS SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED INDEPENDENT FACTORS IN THE CAUSATION OF CRIME. RATHER, EACH CONTRIBUTES TO A PROCESS WHICH INCREASES THE PROBABILITY THAT AN INDIVIDUAL WILL ENGAGE IN CRIME. REFERENCES ARE CITED.