School, Work, Occupation and Family of Juvenile Delinquents - A Descriptive Anamnesis - Part Three

• NCJ Number: 73339
• Journal: Zentralblatt fuer Jugendrecht und Jugendwohlfahrt Volume: 65 Issue: 5 Dated: (1978) Pages: 191-200
• Author(s): H Arndt
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 10 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: German
• Country: West Germany (Former)

Annotation

Data on 69 juvenile offenders in a German correctional facility were analyzed to determine the relationship between success at school and criminal behavior.

Abstract

This is the third of five articles which resulted from a study of the upbringing of juvenile delinquents. The sample was randomly selected from a Schwaebish Hall facility and included 14 to 22-year-old offenders. Of these, 30.4 percent attended special education programs, 56.5 percent attended grade and middle schools, and 12.9 percent attended high school. However, 58 percent did not complete their studies. Those who either did not complete their studies or who completed only the special programs (10.1 percent) committed offenses earlier in life than those who completed middle school (29 percent). Subjects who completed the special programs were also those who committed proportionately more robberies, violent crimes, and sex offenses; and those who either did not complete their studies or completed only middle school tended to commit more property crimes and fraud. Half of the sample changed schools from three to five times, and one-fifth changed nine or more times. Almost half of the sample had to repeat one grade, and nearly one fifth repeated two. As the frequency of grade repeatings increased, the number of offenses committed between the ages of 6 and 10 also increased. Furthermore, 84.1 percent of the subjects attended school irregularly. Schools reported that 37.7 percent of the subjects were noted for aggressive behavior or isolation, and 58 percent for indifference. Finally, the subjects' characterizations of their teachers, which are indicative of student-teacher relationships, were as follows: 59.4 percent found that their teachers lacked human qualities, compared to 40.6 percent who found these not lacking; and 46.4 percent found that their teachers lacked knowledge in their subject areas, while 53.6 percent found their knowledge adequate. Data tables and footnotes with references are included. --in German. (Related documents: 73337, 73338, 73340, 73341.)