DELINQUENCY IN DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED SOCIETIES (FROM CRITICAL ISSUES IN JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, 1980, BY DAVID SHICHOR AND DELOS H KELLY - SEE NCJ-65344)

• NCJ Number: 65357
• Author(s): T N FERDINAND
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 18 pages
• Corporate Author: Lexington Books
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE IMPACT OF CHANGE ON DEVELOPING AND DEVELOPED SOCIETIES IS EXAMINED AS IT RELATES TO DIFFERENT TYPES OF DELINQUENCY.

Abstract

THE PRINCIPAL PROBLEM FACING DEVELOPING SOCIETIES TODAY IS THE ASSIMILATION OF MIGRANTS FROM THE FOLK-ORIENTED HINTERLAND INTO URBAN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC PATTERNS. MIGRANTS IN COMMERCIAL ENVIRONMENTS HAVE FEW MARKETABLE SKILLS AND ARE REDUCED TO LIVING AT THE POVERTY LEVEL. WEAK FAMILY TIES AND THE IMPORTANCE OF STREET LIFE CULTURE FOR YOUNG MALES ENCOURAGE THE FORMATION OF GANGS. AS ADOLESCENTS OF THESE FAMILIES MOVE BEYOND PARENTAL AUTHORITY, THEY ARE POORLY PREPARED FOR SOCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY REWARDING ROLES AND OFTEN TURN TO DELINQUENCY. SINCE WORLD WAR II, SOCIETY IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES HAS BEEN CHARACTERIZED BY BUREAUCRATIZATION. CITIZENS RECEIVE NUMEROUS BENEFITS SO THAT THEY CAN FUNCTION EFFECTIVELY. BUT AN ADOLESCENT CULTURE HAS EMERGED THAT DOES NOT WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS SOCIETY AND REJECTS ADULT RESPONSIBILITIES AND AMBITIONS. BIZARRE GANGS HAVE DEVELOPED, SUCH AS THE YIPPIES AND THE TEDDY BOYS, WHO ADOPT DISTINCTIVE MANNERISMS, INCLUDE BOTH SEXES, AND HAVE LITTLE INTEREST IN LEAVING ADOLESCENT SOCIETY. STUDIES OF EUROPEAN YOUTH GROUPS FOUND THAT GANG ACTIVITIES STEMMED FROM REBELLION AGAINST CONVENTIONS AND THAT BEHAVIOR WAS DISRUPTIVE AND IRRESPONSIBLE RATHER THAN DELIBERATELY CRIMINAL. ADOLESCENTS TURN TO HEDONISTIC ACTIVITIES BECAUSE MODERN SOCIETY HAS HIGH EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR IMPORTANT CAREERS, BUT IT OFFERS NO GUARANTEE THAT ALL THOSE WHO COMPLETE THE COURSE WILL BE JUSTLY REWARDED. DISSOCIATION FROM THE MIDDLE-CLASS WORK ETHIC INSULATES LOWER-CLASS ADOLESCENTS FROM DISAPPOINTMENT WHEN VOCATIONAL OR SOCIAL AMBITIONS CANNOT BE REALIZED. THIS PATTERN FIRST OCCURRED IN POST-WAR ENGLAND, BUT CAN BE SEEN IN URBAN GANGS IN THE UNITED STATES. THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM HAS RESPONDED TO THE NEW TYPE OF DELINQUENT BY DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN STATUS AND DELINQUENT OFFENDERS AND BY RELINQUISHING ITS SURROGATE PARENT ROLE. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (MJM)