NCJ Number
60861
Date Published
1978
Length
580 pages
Annotation
EXPOUNDING ON THE NATURE AND EXTENT OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, THIS VOLUME COVERS SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM AREAS IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, AS WELL AS ITS CAUSES, TREATMENT, AND CONTROL.
Abstract
THROUGH THEIR RESEARCH ACTIVITY AND EXPERIENCES AS PROFESSORS OF SOCIOLOGY, THE AUTHORS CITE NUMEROUS STUDIES IN THEIR EXAMINATION OF THE JUVENILE COURT; THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE JUVENILE DELINQUENT, AS INFLUENCED BY AGE, SEX, ETHNICITY, RACE (PARTICULARLY BLACK YOUTH), AND PERSONALITY; THE ROLES OF THE FAMILY AND THE SCHOOL; JUVENILE GANG PATTERNS; AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SOCIAL CLASS AND DELINQUENCY. INDUSTRALIZATION AND URBANIZATION, WITH THEIR ACCOMPANYING CHANGES IN FAMILY STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION, OFTEN LEAD TO THE SPECIFIC PROBLEMS DISCUSSED IN THIS VOLUME: SOCIALIZED DELINQUENTS (THOSE TRAINED IN VALUES FAVORING DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR), SOCIOPATHIC DELINQUENTS, THE JUVENILE IN A VIOLENT SOCIETY, DRUG USE AND DELINQUENCY, AND THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL CHANGE. EXPLANATIONS OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY, EMPHASIZING THE INDIVIDUAL'S ROLE, COVER THE CLASSICAL SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY, PHYSIOLOGICAL EXPLANATIONS OF CRIMINALITY, MODERN POSITIVISM, THE PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEW, REINFORCEMENT THEORY, AND CONTAINMENT THEORY. ECONOMIC DETERMINISM IS EXAMINED, WITH EMPHASIS ON THE GROUP AND SOCIETAL ROLE, AS WELL AS SOCIAL DISORGANIZATION AND CRIME, THE CULTURAL DIMENSION OF CRIMINALITY, LABELING THEORY, AND THE CONFLICT THEORY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. EXPLORATION OF THESE THEORIES INDICATES THAT SOME CONTRIBUTE MORE THAN OTHERS TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF PARTICULAR TYPES OF CRIME AND CRIMINALS. FOR INSTANCE, PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY, REINFORCEMENT THEORY, AND CONTAINMENT THEORY ALL CONTRIBUTE TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DRUG ADDICT, THE SEX OFFENDER, THE VIOLENT OFFENDER, THE SOCIOPATH, AND THE JUVENILE DELINQUENT; POLITICAL CRIME IS BEST EXPLAINED BY GROUP CONFLICT THEORISTS. FINALLY, VARIOUS TREATMENT STRATEGIES FOR DELINQUENTS ARE DISCUSSED (I.E., INDIVIDUAL COUNSELING AND THERAPY, REALITY THERAPY, AND GUIDED GROUP INTERACTION), ALONG WITH COMMUNITY TREATMENT AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PREVENTION, CONTROL, AND TREATMENT OF CRIME AND DELINQUENCY ARE NOTED. AN INDEX BY NAME AND SUBJECT IS PROVIDED, AS WELL AS FOOTNOTES, GRAPHS, AND EXTENSIVE STATISTICAL TABLES. (WJR)