NCJ Number
104464
Editor(s)
P W Greenwood
Date Published
1986
Length
296 pages
Annotation
These 12 papers consider the causes of juvenile delinquency, the characteristics of chronic offenders, and the types of interventions that appear to be most effective in rehabilitating these youths.
Abstract
The papers were developed as part of a study that aimed to determine the future of rehabilitation of juvenile delinquents and that concluded that the quality of rehabilitation programs can and should be improved. An analysis of juvenile offender characteristics and treatment in the 1920's uses data from major juvenile institutions in New York and California. Discussions of programs in Western Europe emphasize the borstal experience in England and note that Europe, like the United States, has experienced declining faith in the rehabilitative ideal. A discussion of the distinguishing features of chronic offenders considers the potential for predicting chronic criminality and emphasizes how interactions between the child's physiological characteristics and the parents' behavior can lead to breakdowns in normal socialization. Two legal reviews show how court decisions have recently constrained the juvenile courts and the public schools in dealing with youths. A review of the biological role in criminality summarizes leading theories, research methods, and study findings. The use of interventions based on knowledge of physiological endowments, the potential role of public schools in delinquency prevention, the characteristics of effective programs for chronic juvenile offenders, and a model for comparing the effectiveness of various interventions are also discussed. Figures, tables, chapter reference lists, index, author biographies, and 310 references.