NCJ Number
75143
Date Published
Unknown
Length
101 pages
Annotation
A police officer examined the backgrounds and criminal activities of 449 juveniles in Torbay, England, who were known to be responsible for indictable crimes in 1975.
Abstract
The political, social, and economic characteristics of the Torbay area are described. Because Torbay is a resort and attracts retired persons, its juvenile population is relatively low. Based on a detailed review of all police files relating to juvenile offenders 10 to 16 years old, statistics on the juvenile share of indictable crime are presented. Thus, the study considers juveniles who are handled behind the scenes, as well as those who actually appear in court. Correlations among offenders and schools, one-parent families, and family size are provided, as are breakdowns by age and sex. Police actions against juveniles are summarized. Patterns of juvenile involvement in burglary, theft, and violent offenses are detailed, including identification of victims and proportions of offenses committed alone or in groups. The analysis of violent crime showed that most incidents were minor and usually directed toward other juveniles. The discussion of vandalism covers offenders' ages, their backgrounds, the role of alcohol, and value of property damage. Housing accommodations and gang activities of the sample were also studied. Males accounted for 75 percent of the juvenile crime in Torbay during 1975. Analysis of data on family composition suggests that juveniles from larger or single-parent families are more vulnerable to delinquency. Evidence of gang activity in the actual commission of crime was negligible. A high percentage of the offenders were freom the lower social classes, an unsurprising feature in view of the links established with poor housing accommodations and family structure. The impact of the 1969 Children and Young Persons Act is also examined, along with the potential of the police to prevent delinquency. Tables, footnotes, and approximately 50 references are provided. The appendixes contain case studies of delinquents and statistics on sexual offenders.