NCJ Number
222942
Journal
International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2007 Pages: 27-43
Date Published
January 2007
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Utilizing findings from qualitative field work conducted in an immigrant Bangladeshi community in New York City, this paper explores the nature of juvenile deviant behavior and factors contributing to juvenile deviant behavior.
Abstract
This study suggests the importance of generational and cultural conflict as contributing to perceptions of deviance among the youth of this immigrant group. Bangladeshi immigrants see many behaviors as deviant which are not viewed in the same way in the mainstream of American culture. For example, dating is viewed as extremely deviant for teenagers in the Bangladeshi community, but it is a normal behavior in American society. The data from this research support most strongly the perspectives of cultural and generational gaps in explaining the deviant or delinquent behavior of youths in an immigrant community. The data also suggest that control theories have a good deal to contribute to understanding deviant behavior of immigrant Bangladeshi youths as lack of parental supervision appears to be a central factor leading to deviant behavior. Although there have been various attempts to study delinquency among immigrant communities, no real effort has been made to understand the aspects of delinquency among youths in the immigrant Bangladeshi communities. This study makes an attempt to address this gap by focusing on the factors that contribute to deviant behavior and/or delinquent activity among youths in an immigrant Bangladeshi community in New York City is one of the fastest growing immigrant communities in the city. Figures, references