NCJ Number
177944
Journal
Youth Studies Australia Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: March 1999 Pages: 29-36
Date Published
1999
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Recognizing that economic and social circumstances of young people have a major bearing on juvenile drug use and criminal justice system response, a research project was initiated by the University of Melbourne to explore what young people did with their time and how they obtained money.
Abstract
Over a 3-year period, interviews were conducted with 400 young people between 12 and 17 years of age and with 150 young people between 18 and 25 years of age. The research sought to assess types of income to which young people had access, formal and informal means by which young people augmented or supplemented their income, and the nature and extent of crime by and against young people. Findings revealed that very few teenagers worked in the full-time formal economy. Those who worked part- time tended to be students. A sizable proportion of all young workers found work in the informal waged economy. Almost two- thirds worked for cash-in-hand, generally in retail and service sectors. Many young people relied on the welfare economy and dependency on this economy increased with age. Further, many young people felt they had been denied the basic means of life. The main reason young people committed crime was to supplement their income. The biggest category of criminal activity identified by teenagers was drug dealing, closely followed by shoplifting. Not all criminal activity, however, was associated with financial gain. Crimes committed without an economic motive included drug use and vandalism. Major factors in the commission of non-economic crimes were a sense of boredom and a need for excitement. Implications of the findings for the criminal justice response to juvenile crime and drug use are discussed. 21 references and 4 tables