AUTOMOBILE THEFT - A FAVORED-GROUP DELINQUENCY (FROM CRIME AND DELINQUENCY, A READER, 1970 BY CARL A. BERSANI - SEE NCJ-06248)

• NCJ Number: 10198
• Author(s): W W WATTENBERG; J BALISTRIERI
• Date Published: 1970
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: Macmillan
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REPRINTED FROM AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY, V 57, N 6 (MAY 1952), P 575-579

Annotation

STUDY REGARDING THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE FORM OF ANTISOCIAL OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT, RATHER THAN ITS FREQUENCY, VARIES FROM SOCIAL CLASS TO CLASS IN OUR SOCIETY.

Abstract

IN THIS STUDY 230 WHITE BOYS CHARGED WITH AUTOMOBILE THEFT WERE COMPARED WITH 2,544 OTHERS IN TROUBLE WITH THE DETROIT POLICE IN 1948. THEY HAD GOOD PEER-GROUP RELATIONSHIPS, CAME FROM RELATIVELY MORE FAVORED NEIGHBORHOODS, BUT WERE OTHERWISE SIMILAR TO JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN GENERAL. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THE COMMON FACTOR ACCOUNTING FOR ONE GENERAL CLASS OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR REGARDLESS OF SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS WAS A PERSONALITY STRUCTURE WHICH READILY ACCEPTED THE VALUES OF IMMEDIATE ASSOCIATES BUT RESPONDED WEAKLY TO THE ENACTMENTS OF LARGER SOCIAL ENTITIES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)