PROFILE OF THE RAILWAY VANDAL IN VICTORIA (AUSTRALIA)

• NCJ Number: 58600
• Author(s): C D ROBINSON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 35 pages
• Corporate Author: Swinburne College of Technology
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; Swinburne College of Technology
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO PROVIDE BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON RAILWAY VANDALS IN VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA, USING OFFICIAL RECORDS OF A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 105 OFFENDERS.

Abstract

THE STUDY SAMPLE WAS SELECTED FROM ALL PERSONS APPREHENDED DURING THE PERIOD MARCH 1974 TO JUNE 1976. ALL WERE CHARGED WITH WILLFUL DAMAGE OFFENSES. BIOGRAPHICAL AND OFFENSE-RELATED DATA WERE GATHERED FROM RECORDS MAINTAINED BY THE SPECIAL INVESTIGATION BRANCH OF THE VICTORIAN RAILWAYS AND BY THE VICTORIA POLICE. DATA WERE CODED FOR COMPUTER ANALYSIS USING THE STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES. OVER HALF OF OFFENDERS IN THE SAMPLE HAD PRIOR OFFENSE RECORDS. THE TYPICAL RAILWAY VANDAL TENDED TO BE AN AUSTRALIAN-BORN MALE BETWEEN 13 YEARS AND 17 YEARS OF AGE; HE WAS AN UNSKILLED WORKER, STUDENT, OR UNEMPLOYED PERSON. HE WAS ATTENDING OR HAD ATTENDED A STATE PRIMARY OR TECHNICAL SCHOOL AND HAD COMPLETED NO MORE THAN 4 YEARS OF SECONDARY EDUCATION. HE LIVED WITH PARENTS WHO WERE EMPLOYED IN LOW-STATUS OCCUPATIONS AND WHOSE CHARACTER WAS GENERALLY SEEN AS REASONABLE OR GOOD BY INVESTIGATING OFFICERS. HOWEVER, IN OVER HALF OF CASES FOR WHICH DATA WERE AVAILABLE, THE LEVEL OF PARENTAL CONTROL WAS INADEQUATE; 23 PERCENT OF PARENTS SHOWED NO INTEREST IN THE OFFENDER AND 19 PERCENT WERE VIEWED AS RESPONSIBLE IN SOME WAY FOR THE OFFENDER'S LAPSE. THE TYPICAL OFFENDER WAS EITHER AN ONLY CHILD OR HAD BETWEEN TWO AND FIVE SIBLINGS. HIS RESIDENTIAL ACCOMODATION WAS GOOD, BUT LEISURE ACTIVITIES USUALLY TOOK PLACE IN THE GOOD ABSENCE OF ADULT SUPERVISION. HIS COMPANIONS WERE GENERALLY OF BAD CHARACTER. THE MOST COMMONLY REPORTED CAUSE OF VANDALISM WAS 'SHOWING OFF.' OVER 80 PERCENT OF OFFENSES WERE COMMITTED IN COMPANY AND TENDED TO TAKE PLACE ON FRIDAY, SATURDAY, OR SUNDAY BETWEEN NOON AND 4:00 P.M. AND BETWEEN 8:00 P.M. AND MIDNIGHT. STUDY FINDINGS SHOULD BE OF ASSISTANCE IN IMPROVING MEASURES TO COUNTER RAILWAY VANDALISM. SUPPORTING DATA ARE TABULATED, AND REFERENCES ARE CITED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DEP)