Social Resistance Perspective For Delinquent Behaviour Among Non-Dominant Minority Groups

• NCJ Number: 244983
• Journal: British Journal of Criminology Volume: 53 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2013 Pages: 784-804
• Author(s): Roni Factor; David Mahalel; Anat Rafaeli; David R. Williams
• Date Published: September 2013
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Theoretical)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study develops an innovative theoretical model for understanding risky/delinquent behavior among non-dominant groups based on the social resistance framework.

Abstract

Non-dominant minorities, compared with majority groups, often have greater engagement in risky and delinquent behaviors. This study develops an innovative theoretical model for understanding risky/delinquent behavior among non-dominant groups based on the social resistance framework, which suggests that power relations within society bring non-dominant minorities to actively engage in various forms of everyday resistance that can include delinquent behaviors. The authors tested this model on traffic violations, surveying 1,060 non-dominant and majority drivers in Israel. Structural equation models suggest that different mechanisms underlie delinquent behaviors in the two groups: social resistance plays a direct role in traffic violations among non-dominants, while, for the majority, procedural justice and non-commitment to the law have a stronger impact. Implications for understanding delinquent and risky behavior and as an extension of the well-known procedural justice model are discussed. (Published Abstract)