NCJ Number
50515
Date Published
1978
Length
35 pages
Annotation
IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AND LATER SOCIALLY DEVIANT BEHAVIOR, RECORDS OF COURTS AND SOCIAL AGENCIES IN EIGHT NEW YORK COUNTIES WERE EXAMINED FOR THE YEARS 1950-1972.
Abstract
THE RECORDS WERE USED AS THE BASIS FOR A LONGITUDINAL EXAMINATION OF CHILDREN WHO WERE MEMBERS OF FAMILIES REPORTED FOR CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT AND CHILDREN WHO WERE REPORTED AS DELINQUENT OR UNGOVERNABLE. THE 1950'S SAMPLE CONTANED 5,136 CHILDREN WHO WERE REPORTED AS ABUSED OR NEGLECTED FROM 1,423 FAMILIES. THE 1970'S SAMPLE CONTAINED 1,963 CHILDREN WHO WERE REPORTED TO THE FAMILY COURT OR TO INTAKE SERVICES AS DELINQUENT OR UNGOVERNABLE IN 1971 OR 1972. DATA ON THE HISTORIES OF THE CHILDREN, INCLUDING ALL CONTACTS WITH THE COURTS FOR DELINQUENCY BEHAVIOR, WERE COLLECTED AND KEPT SEPARATE FOR THE TWO GROUPS. FINDINGS INDICATED THAT AS MANY AS 50 PERCENT OF THE FAMILIES REPORTED FOR CHILD ABUSE HAD AT LEAST ONE CHILD WHO WAS LATER TAKEN TO COURT FOR DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR, THAT A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF CHILDREN WHO WERE REPORTED ABUSED WERE LATER REPORTED TO A COURT AS DELINQUENT OR UNGOVERNABLE, AND THAT DELINQUENT CHILDREN WHO WERE REPORTED AS ABUSED OR NEGLECTED TENDED TO BE MORE VIOLENT THAN OTHER DELINQUENTS. CHILD MALTREATMENT, HOWEVER, COULD NOT BE USED AS AN INDICATOR OR PREDICTOR OF A PARTICULAR TYPE OF JUVENILE MISBEHAVIOR. IT WAS FOUND ALSO THAT FEW SERVICES WERE PROVIDED TO ABUSED AND NEGLECTED CHILDREN OR THEIR FAMILIES AND THAT MOST CHILD PROTECTIVE CONTACTS ENDED WITH NO ACTION BEING TAKEN. THE PERCENTAGE OF NEGLECT CONTACTS LEADING TO PLACEMENT WAS HIGHER THAN THE PERCENTAGE OF ABUSE CONTACTS LEADING TO PLACEMENT (16 PERCENT AS OPPOSED TO 20 PERCENT), AND THE PLACEMENT RATE FOR UNGOVERNABILITY WAS HIGHER THAN THAT FOR JUVENILE DELIQUENCY (19.4 PERCENT AS OPPOSED TO 11.3 PERCENT). IT WAS SHOWN ALSO THAT CHILDREN REPORTED AS ABUSED OR NEGLECTED AND AS DELINQUENT OR UNGOVERNABLE CAME FROM SIMILAR FAMILIES WHICH DIFFERED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM THE GENERAL POPULATION. AN EMPIRICAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AND LATER SOCIALLY DEVIANT BEHAVIOR WAS CONFIRMED, BUT THE RELATIONSHIP WAS SEEN TO BE MORE COMPLICATED THAN A SIMPLE CAUSE AND EFFECT ASSOCIATION. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE DISPARATE SYSTEMS THAT AFFECT CHILDREN AND PARENTS BE REEXAMINED AND REDIRECTED TO HANDLE THE TOTAL REALITY OF PROBLEMS AFFLICTING FAMILIES. FOR COMPLETE REPORT, SEE NCJ-51167 (DAG)