COMPARISON OF THE TRUANT DELINQUENT AND THE NON-TRUANT DELINQUENT IN LUBBOCK, TEXAS

• NCJ Number: 27508
• Author(s): J L HICKMAN
• Date Published: 1972
• Length: 55 pages
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY SOCIOLOGY THESIS

Annotation

THIS STUDY COMPARED AND CONTRASTED THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS, INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT, FAMILY SITUATION, NUMBER OF COMPANIONS PRESENT DURING THE FIRST OFFENSE, AND TYPES OF OFFENSES FOR TRUANT AND NON-TRUANT DELINQUENTS.

Abstract

THE POPULATION OF THIS STUDY WAS 100 BOYS AND GIRLS REFERRED TO THE LUBBOCK COUNTY JUVENILE PROBATION DEPARTMENT FOR VIOLATION OF THE JUVENILE LAWS. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DELINQUENTS WERE DETERMINED FROM JUVENILE COURT RECORDS AND JUVENILE SUMMARIES FROM THE LUBBOCK COUNTY JUVENILE PROBATION OFFICE 1970 REPORT. THE CHI-SQUARE TEST WAS USED TO DETERMINE IF ANY STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES EXISTED BETWEEN THE TRUANT AND NON-TRUANT SUBSAMPLES. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE TRUANT IS NOT STATISTICALLY DIFFERENTIATED FROM THE NON-TRUANT ON THE BASIS OF AGE, GRADE IN SCHOOL, MENTAL CAPACITY, GRADE IN SCHOOL AT FIRST OFFENSE, LIVING ARRANGEMENT OF YOUTH IN OWN HOME, ANNUAL FAMILY INCOME, OR AGE AT FIRST OFFENSE. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT BOTH GROUPS HAD LOW FAMILY INCOMES, AND UNSTABLE FAMILIES.