NCJ Number
220523
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies Volume: 20 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2007 Pages: 269-280
Date Published
September 2007
Length
12 pages
Annotation
Children (n=100) and parents (n=100) from a slum neighborhood in Delhi, India, were interviewed in order to obtain information on juvenile deviance and parental reactions, so as to determine whether there was a link between the prevalence of delinquency and the level of parental tolerance for deviant behaviors.
Abstract
The majority of the children (53 percent) were "conformists," in that they reported behaving in a manner acceptable to the behavioral standards of their parents and their community. Based on child information, the overall delinquency level was higher than that based on information provided by parents. Delinquent behavior tended to decline with age. Parental reaction (restrictiveness or permissiveness) to deviance was the measure of their tolerance for delinquent behavior. Children tended to view their parents as being intolerant of delinquent behaviors at all of their age levels; however, parents viewed themselves as more permissive when the children were young and more restrictive as they became older. Parental views of their tolerance levels tended to be related to their children's level of delinquency at various age levels, i.e., children were more delinquent at younger ages, when parents perceived themselves as more restrictive, than when they became older, when parents were more restrictive. The findings show the importance of measuring and applying the "tolerance quotient" for specific deviant behaviors in various subcultural settings. Items on deviance and parental reaction to it (identical for both children and parents) were included throughout the interview. On the basis of the interview items, research computed two composite variables: the Overall Deviance Level (objectionable child behavior) and Overall Tolerance Level (community tolerance for various delinquent behaviors). 4 tables, 1 figure, and 24 references