NCJ Number
128765
Date Published
1989
Length
396 pages
Annotation
This textbook, written primarily for undergraduate students, presents an interdisciplinary, social systems approach to juvenile delinquency.
Abstract
Five key words or concepts characterize the book: history, interdisciplinary approach, social systems, theory, and research. The authors contend there are many "right" but conflicting theories and explanations of juvenile delinquency. The social systems framework is used to review research and trends in juvenile delinquency. This framework facilitates the understanding of delinquency in terms of families, peers, schools, neighborhoods, communities, and cultures. Book chapters are specifically devoted to defining and measuring delinquency, the study of delinquency as a science, origins of juvenile justice, and historical aspects of criminology and juvenile research. Additional book topics focus on learning, cognitive development, and construct systems; the family microsystem; social structures and ecological perspectives; community networks and processes; and juvenile delinquency prevention and control. A chapter on social systems explores social systems theory, temperament, Eysenck's theory of criminality, the relation between body build and delinquency, and genetic influences. references, tables, and figures