NCJ Number
15856
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 1 Issue: 2 Dated: (JUNE 1974) Pages: 123-13
Date Published
1974
Length
8 pages
Annotation
A STUDY INDICATING THAT MALES ARE MORE VIOLENT THAN FEMALES WITH THE GAP CLOSING OVER A TIME PERIOD AND THAT ETHNICITY WAS NOT A FACTOR IN THE DEGREE OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR IN THE SUJECTS STUDIED.
Abstract
SUBJECTS WERE 172 DELINQUENTS WITH A MEAN AGE OF 17.78 YEARS AND A STANDARD DEVIATION OF 4.62 YEARS, WITH NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE FIVE SUBJECT GROUPS. STUDY ONE WAS COMPRISED OF ALL REFERRALS FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION DURING A 27 MONTH PERIOD. STUDY TWO WAS COMPOSED OF SUBJECTS REFERRED DURING THE SUCCEEDING 8 MONTHS. THE VIOLENCE SCALE WAS CONSTRUCTED BY ASKING FOUR PROFESSIONALS INVOLVED WITH DELINQUENCY TO RANK A LIST OF EACH SUBJECT'S MOST SERIOUS CRIME. THE RANKINGS WERE AVERAGED, AND A NEW RANK ASSIGNED EACH CRIME. FOR STUDY TWO THE SAME FOUR PROFESSIONALS WERE GIVEN A PRELIMINARY RATING LIST OF CRIMES AND A LIST OF CRIMES OF THIS STUDY'S SUBJECTS. CRIMES NOT ALREADY ON THE LIST WERE RATED ACCORDING TO SEVERITY. MALES WERE SHOWN TO BE INVOLVED IN MORE SEVERE CRIMES THAN WERE FEMALES ALTHOUGH AN INCREASE IN VIOLENT CRIMES AMONG CAUCASIAN FEMALES WAS FOUND IN THE SECOND GROUP STUDIED. ANGLO-CAUCASIANS WERE NOT LESS VIOLENT THAN NON-ANGLOS IN THE STUDIES.