STUDY ON ACTUAL CONDITIONS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENTS MIGRATING INTO LARGER CITIES - SECOND INTERIM REPORT

• NCJ Number: 48238
• Author(s): K SHINODA; M TACHIBANA; Y MATSUMOTO; S SUGIHARA; H AKO; M SUZUKI; T KAKIHANA
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 9 pages
• Corporate Author: Japan Ministry of Justice
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Country: Japan
• Note: FROM BULLETIN OF THE CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH DEPARTMENT, MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, JAPAN THIS ENGLISH VERSION WAS PREPARED BY MR. KENSAKU HASHIMOTO, INFORMATION AND LIAISON OFFICE, SECRETARIAT SECTION, MINISTRY OF JUSTICE, JAPAN

Annotation

FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR JUVENILE DELINQUENCY AMONG YOUTH WHO HAVE MIGRATED FROM RURAL TO URBAN AREAS IN JAPAN ARE EXAMINED.

Abstract

THIS IS THE SECOND REPORT IN A STUDY COMPARING DELINQUENT JUVENILES WHO RESIDE IN RURAL AREAS (NATIVE GROUP) WITH DELINQUENTS WHO HAVE MIGRATED FROM RURAL AREAS TO LARGE CITIES (MIGRATED GROUP). APPROXIMATELY 700 JUVENILE DELINQUENTS EITHER DETAINED IN THE JUVENILE DETENTION AND CLASSIFICATION HOMES OR PLACED BY THE FAMILY COURT UNDER PROBATIONARY SUPERVISION WERE SURVEYED. FOR THE STUDY, EACH WAS ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE NATIVE GROUP OR THE MIGRATED GROUP. THE MIGRATED GROUP IS CLASSIFIED BY THE TIME OF COMMISSION OF DELINQUENT ACTS: THOSE WHOSE CRIMES WERE COMMITTED BEFORE THE TIME OF MIGRATION; THOSE WHOSE CRIMES WERE COMMITTED AFTER MIGRATION; AND THOSE WHOSE CRIMES WERE COMMITTED BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER MIGRATION. THE NATIVE GROUP IS CLASSIFIED BY PREVIOUS CRIMINAL RECORD: THOSE WITHOUT PREVIOUS CRIMINAL RECORDS; THOSE WITH PREVIOUS RECORDS OF DISMISSAL AFTER A HEARING WITHOUT ANY FURTHER ACTION; THOSE WITH PREVIOUS RECORDS OF PROBATION; AND THOSE WITH PREVIOUS RECORDS OF COMMITMENT TO JUVENILE TRAINING SCHOOL. THE SUBJECTS IN EACH GROUP WERE CLASSIFIED BY TYPE OF DELINQUENT ACT: THOSE WHO COMMITTED LARCENY; THOSE WHO COMMITTED VIOLENT OFFENSES; AND THOSE WHO COMMITTED SEXUAL OFFENSES. A COMPARISON OF TYPES OF OFFENSES REVEALED THAT THE RATE OF VIOLENT OFFENSES WAS HIGHER IN THE NATIVE GROUP THAN THE MIGRATED GROUP. IN THE MIGRATED GROUP, THE RATE OF VIOLENT OFFENSES WAS HIGHEST AMONG THOSE WHO HAD NO RECORD OF DELINQUENCY PRIOR TO MIGRATION. WITHIN THE NATIVE AND MIGRATED GROUPS, THE HIGHEST DEGREE OF DELINQUENCY WAS FOUND IN THE SUBGROUPS WITH SERIOUS PREVIOUS RECORDS OF DELINQUENCY. IN ADDITION, THOSE IN BOTH GROUPS AT ADVANCED STAGES OF DELINQUENCY HAD A HISTORY OF UNSTABLE FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND FREQUENT JOB CHANGES, AND THEY TENDED TO HAVE A STRONG NEGATIVE SELF-IMAGE. THE AVAILABILITY OF POSITIVE SOCIAL RESOURCES AND RELATIONSHIPS, AS WELL AS A STABLE JOB SITUATION ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN DETERRING JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. WHERE THESE FACTORS ARE LACKING IN THE DELINQUENCY IS AGGRAVATED. RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS ARE SUMMARIZED IN A TABLE. (RCB)