NCJ Number
128744
Journal
Bulletin of the Criminological Research Department Dated: (1989) Pages: 15-18
Date Published
1989
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Information from 883 juveniles inmates committed to juvenile detention and classification homes in Japan from July 11-30 in 1988 formed the basis of an analysis of the family relationships experienced by these youths.
Abstract
The data were collected from observations, official records, and self-administered questionnaires containing 97 items. Results showed that 53 percent lived with their natural parents, 34 percent with one parent, 8 percent with one parent and a stepparent, and 5 percent in other situations. Youths from broken families were more inclined to run away or become delinquent in their early teens than were youths living with both parents. Youths often reported that their parents tended to leave them alone or to be inconsistent. Some youths also viewed their fathers as "stern" or their mothers as "infatuated" with the juvenile. Overall, youths who had negative attitudes toward their parents were more advanced in delinquency than those with positive attitudes. Parental affection and disciplinary behavior were both significantly related to delinquency with parental affection showing the strongest effect.