NCJ Number
68206
Date Published
1976
Length
20 pages
Annotation
A SAMPLE OF 355 MALE JUVENILE OFFENDERS WHO HAD BEEN REPEATEDLY SENTENCED IN PANAMANIAN JUVENILE COURTS WAS SURVEYED IN AN ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE THE POSSIBLE CAUSES OF THEIR DELINQUENCY AND RECIDIVISM.
Abstract
THE JUVENILES, ALL BETWEEN THE AGES OF 11 AND 18, HAD REPEATEDLY APPEARED BEFORE PANAMANIAN JUVENILE COURTS. OFFENSE DATA COVERED 1968 TO 1974. CRIMINAL HISTORIES AND COURT RECORDS, AS WELL AS PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT RECORDS KEPT IN THE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS, WERE USED AS INFORMATION SOURCES. THE COMMITTING OFFENSES WERE CHIEFLY PROPERTY CRIMES (85 PERCENT), FOLLOWED BY DRUG OFFENSES (4.3 PERCENT). THE ETIOLOGICAL CAUSES OF EACH CRIME COULD NOT BE DETERMINED. HOWEVER, CERTAIN CHARACTERISTICS WERE SHARED BY ALL THE JUVENILES SURVEYED: IRREGULAR OR BROKEN HOMES, LARGE FAMILIES, URBAN SLUM HOUSING, LOW INTELLIGENT QUOTIENT, AND LOW EDUCATIONAL LEVEL. THEIR OCCUPATIONS (IF ANY) WERE MARGINAL AND UNSKILLED, AND 93.2 PERCENT WERE NONMARRIED. THE JUVENILES RESIDED IN ONE OF TWO CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS. THE FIRST, A JUVENILE OBSERVATION CENTER HAD FEW PROGRAMS; IN FACT, LITTLE BEYOND OBSERVATION TOOK PLACE. THE OTHER IS A MINIMUM-SECURITY VOCATIONAL TRAINING FACILITY WHERE SECURITY IS SO LAX AND THE RATE OF ESCAPE IS SO HIGH (OVER 20 PERCENT) THAT FEW INMATES COMPLETE THE MEAGER VOCATIONAL TRAINING COURSES OFFERED. JUVENILE OFFENDERS PUT ON PROBATION RECEIVE PRACTICALLY NO SUPERVISION DUE TO LACK OF PROBATION OFFICERS. THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING SCHOOL COULD FUNCTION MORE EFFECTIVELY IF THE JUVENILE OFFENDERS TRANSFERED TO IT WERE SCREENED TO WEED OUT MENTALLY RETARDED AND DANGEROUS INDIVIDUALS WHO OBSTRUCT THE TRAINING OF OTHERS. THE RECOMMENDATIONS FORMULATED IN THIS STUDY TO IMPROVE THE REHABILITATION PROGRAMS OFFERED TO JUVENILE RECIDIVISTS IN PANAMA INCLUDE USE OF MODERN PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION TECHNIQUES TO HELP CLASSIFY ALL JUVENILES. REMEDIAL CLASSES SHOULD BE OFFERED WITH TEACHERS SPECIALIZING IN SPECIAL AND REMEDIAL EDUCATION. FAMILY-BASED ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE THE HOME INVIRONMENTS OF THE JUVENILES, OFFERING ASSISTANCE TO THEIR FAMILIES ARE SUGGESTED, AS IS DEVELOPMENT OF RELIABLE STATISTICAL INSTRUMENTS TO GATHER DATA FOR A SCIENTIFIC EVALUATION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. TABULAR DATA AND GRAPHS ARE APPENDED. --IN SPANISH.