NCJ Number
172530
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1998) Pages: 222-247
Date Published
1998
Length
26 pages
Annotation
Recognizing the plausibility of social disorganization theory in the Chinese cultural setting has not been adequately investigated, a multilevel social disorganization model is developed and tested using data from a representative sample of 1,704 in-school adolescents from Taipei, Taiwan.
Abstract
The model incorporates concepts from previous research and develops an elaborated model of social disorganization and crime in which social disorganization is defined as the inability of a local community to achieve common values of its residents and maintain effective formal and informal social control. Variables in the model include community and family income level and mobility, family disorganization, population density, and deviant peers. To test the model, data were collected from a stratified random sample of adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age who attended junior and senior high schools in Taipei. The outcome variable of delinquency was based on 28 questions that asked respondents to report how many times in the previous 12 months they had engaged in a variety of activities. Results offered general support for the social disorganization model. Higher community income and lower population density were related to lower delinquency, while family disorganization and association with deviant peers were related to greater involvement in delinquency. 91 references, 8 notes, 5 tables, and 1 figure