NCJ Number
92349
Date Published
1983
Length
20 pages
Annotation
The three most appropriate strategies for controlling delinquency are to continue to rely on group homes, special schools, and similar programs as a temporary supplement to existing community resources; to establish alternative programs that provide new and meaningful roles to adolescents who live in geographically limited areas; and to conduct large scale reforms in educational and other programs available to adolescents.
Abstract
Relying on existing networks of community programs to prevent and treat delinquency is questionable, because the majority of programs are recreational programs that, relative to other types of programs, have characteristics that are less conducive to the development of a strong bond to the legitimate community. In addition, schools seem to be inadequate settings for developing such a bond, particularly for the delinquent youths who are the target population of correctional efforts. Study data came from two Boston communities. One was a mainly white, working class community with strong ethnic kinship and low population mobility. The other community, a mix between a pluralistic and disorganized community, had a mixture of racial and ethnic groups with moderate to high population mobility. Interviews were conducted with 588 youths from a initial sample of 1,073 youths, including all those with police contacts and a systematic sample of public school students. Two-thirds of the youths reported having contact with one or two school or community programs, including recreation and sports, health, and teen centers, during the last year. The network of community programs offered predominantly recreational facilities rather than settings where youths were engaged in more demanding and involving roles. Data tables, 2 notes, and 27 references are provided.