NCJ Number
40948
Journal
ANNALES DE VAUCRESSON Issue: 12 Dated: (1974) Pages: 57-118
Date Published
1974
Length
62 pages
Annotation
THIS FRENCH STUDY, INVOLVING 852 16 AND 17 YEAR OLD MALE DELINQUENTS, ATTEMPTED TO ESTABLISH A TYPOLOGY OF DELINQUENT BEHAVIORS TO BE USED IN DIFFERENTIATING PREVENTIVE AND REHABILITATIVE STRATEGIES.
Abstract
THE DELINQUENT WAS NOT DEFINED ON THE BASIS OF A SINGLE LEGALLY QUALIFIED ACT, BUT ON THE BASIS OF THE WHOLE RANGE OF HIS PUNISHABLE OFFENSES CATEGORIZED ACCORDING TO THE FOLLOWING FIVE FACTORS: THE AUTHOR OF THE INFRACTION; THE PUNISHABLE ACT; THE VICTIM; THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE SUBJECT'S FAMILY IN THE DELINQUENCY; AND THE NATURE OF THE JUDICIAL REACTION. STUDY SUBJECTS WERE DIVIDED INTO GROUPS ACCORDING TO TWO CRITERIA - THE EXTENT OF THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN THE DELINQUENCY AND THE INSTITUTIONALIZED SOCIAL REACTION TO THE ACT. THREE HOMOGENEOUS GROUPS WERE DEFINED BASED ON THESE CHARACTERISTICS. THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THE MAJOR BEHAVIORS, CRIMINAL METHODS, CIRCUMSTANCES, AND REACTIONS INVOKED WOULD BE DIFFERENT FOR EACH GROUP WAS CONFIRMED. THE FIRST GROUP CONSISTED OF 393 'OCCASIONAL' DELINQUENTS WHO HAD HAD NO PRIOR CONTACTS WITH THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM. THE SECOND GROUP (193 SUBJECTS) WAS COMPOSED OF HABITUAL DELINQUENTS WHO HAD NOT PREVIOUSLY COME INTO CONTACT WITH THE LAW. THE 266 SUBJECTS IN THE THIRD GROUP WERE DELINQUENTS WHO HAD HAD REPEATED CONTACTS WITH THE SYSTEM. STUDY RESULTS INDICATED THAT GROUP ONE COMMITTED THE LEAST SERIOUS INFRACTIONS AND BENEFITTED FROM THE MOST BENIGN TREATMENT MEASURES. GROUP THREE, ON THE OTHER HAND, WAS MOST FREQUENTLY SUBJECTED TO SOME SORT OF COMUNITY BASED PROGRAM OR DETENTION FOLLOWED BY A MORE SERIOUS MEASURE SUCH AS INSTITUTIONALIZATION. BETWEEN THESE TWO EXTREMES, THOSE IN GROUP TWO WERE MOST OFTEN SUBJECTED TO REHABILITATIONAL OR TREATMENT MEASURES WHICH WERE SOMETIMES CONNECTED TO A PERIOD OF PROBATION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED) --IN FRENCH. SUMMARY IN ENGLISH...ELW