Coping With Sociocultural Causes of Youth Unemployment and Crime (From Employment Crime and Policy Issues, P 85-98, 1982, Leon Leiberg, ed. See NCJ-87219)

• NCJ Number: 87225
• Author(s): D Glaser
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 14 pages
• Sale Source: American University; National Institute of Justice/
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article contends that youth unemployment and delinquency result primarily from separation of juveniles' activities from those of older persons, alienation of students from school, and these adolescents' insufficient experiences in formal groups.

Abstract

The period of transition from child to adult is much longer in modern society than in earlier times, giving adolescents more independence but fewer responsibilities. This situation, coupled with more years in school and frequent full-time employment for both parents, means that most adolescents spend more time interacting with their peers and less with adults. The school's potential influence expands in this environment, providing good preparation for adulthood to youths who like school, but becoming a humiliating and boring experience for students who are not successful. Research indicates that dislike of school, poor grades, and classroom misconduct are predictive of later law violations. However, the rate of offenses for juveniles with a delinquency record in school generally declines if they drop out and decreases even more if they marry or get jobs, reflecting a shift to adult roles. Collective decisions in informal groups are made not only by discussion, but also by entreating, cajoling, nagging or shouting. These informal procedures do not disappear in large organizations, but persons are expected to rely more on dispassionate processes and written documentation. Youths who hate school generally do not join any formal adolescent organizations, but rely on informal groups. Thus, they are poorly prepared for most types of employment in modern industrialized society. Youth employment and delinquency prevention programs have failed largely because they ignore these sociological gaps. To be effective, such programs must socially integrate youths with other age groups, use an innovative system for rewarding performance such as programmed instruction, and help youths gain skills and expertise needed in formal democratic groups. The paper includes 17 references.