CONTINUANCE IN PRIVATE AGENCY TREATMENT OF DELINQUENT BOYS REFERRED BY JUVENILE COURT AND PROBATION OFFICERS

• NCJ Number: 49423
• Author(s): N J RAPP
• Date Published: 1966
• Length: 222 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

Annotation

CORRELATION BETWEEN CERTAIN VARIABLES AND CONTINUANCE IN TREATMENT OF 148 JEWISH DELINQUENT BOYS AND THEIR PARENTS IS STUDIED, AND THE SERVICES OF THE JEWISH BIG BROTHER (JBB) ASSOCIATION OF LOS ANGELES, CALIF., ARE EXAMINED.

Abstract

THE STUDY IS DESIGNED TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SUBJECTS, THE REASONS REFERRED FAMILIES WERE NOT INTERVIEWED BY JBB, THE OUTCOME OF CASES WHICH WERE INTERVIEWED BY JBB, THE JBB ACTIVITIES TO INVOLVE FAMILIES IN TREATMENT, AND THE ROLES PLAYED BY THE PROBATION AND HEARING OFFICERS CONCERNING JBB SERVICE. THE VARIABLES TESTED FOR CORRELATION WITH CONTINUANCE IN TREATMENT ARE THE NATURE OF THE BOY'S PROBLEM AT THE TIME OF REFERRAL TO JBB, THE DEGREE TO WHICH LEGAL AUTHORITIES SUPPORTED JBB SERVICES FOR THE FAMILY, THE BOY'S AGE, FAMILY INCOME, LOCATION OF THE FAMILY RESIDENCE, JBB PRESENCE AT THE COURT HEARING, AND PARENTAL FEELING ABOUT THEIR SON'S PROBLEMS. A STUDY SAMPLE WAS TAKEN FROM ALL PROBATION AND COURT REFERRALS WHICH WERE TERMINATED BY THE LOS ANGELES JBB BETWEEN 1960 AND 1962. STUDY DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM RECORDS OF JBB AND OF THE PROBATION DEPARTMENT. A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS APPROACH WAS USED TO TEST VARIABLES; THE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED IN RELATION TO INVOLVEMENT OF FAMILIES WITH JBB, SERIOUSNESS OF THE PROBLEM AND CONTINUANCE, USE OF LEGAL AUTHORITY AND CONTINUANCE, FIVE LESSER VARIABLES AND CONTINUANCE, AND OTHER FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH CONTINUANCE. IT WAS FOUND THAT IF THE SERIOUS PROBLEM CASES WERE INTERVIEWED, TWO-THIRDS OF THEM BECAME CONTINUERS, THAT FAMILIES REFERRED BY LEGAL AUTHORITIES WERE MORE APT TO CONTINUE WITH JBB SERVICES, AND THAT THE PRESENCE OF A JBB MEMBER AT COURT WAS STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH CONTINUANCE. IN THIS STUDY, THE BOY'S AGE AND ORDINAL POSITION IN THE FAMILY WERE NOT FACTORS IN CONTINUANCE, AND FAMILY INCOME DID NOT INCREASE PREDICTION. THE CLOSENESS OF THE FAMILY HOME TO JBB HAD MODERATE CORRELATION, AND THE ATTITUDE OF THE PARENTS TOWARDS THEIR SON'S PROBLEMS HELPED PREDICT CONTINUANCE. IMPLICATIONS OF THE STUDY ARE DISCUSSED. FURTHER RESEARCH IN THIS AREA, SUCH AS AN EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF JBB SERVICES, AND ADDITIONAL SERVICES LIKE JBB ARE RECOMMENDED. THE APPENDIXES CONTAIN CASE SCHEDULES FOR REFERRED FAMILIES AND A RANKING OF PROBLEMS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED. (DAG)