NCJ Number
85938
Date Published
1980
Length
410 pages
Annotation
This textbook, written for use in undergraduate and graduate delinquency courses, provides an overview of adolescent lawbreaking and society's attempts to control it.
Abstract
Throughout the work, social factors and influences contributing to the delinquency problem are emphasized, and psychological factors are highlighted. The subject matter of delinquency is put in perspective, and the historical roots of the juvenile court are examined from a sociological viewpoint. Emphasis is given to the unique position of the juvenile court as a court of law and a social service agency. The multiple and often contradictory images of delinquency as gleaned from official statistics, victimization surveys, and self-report surveys are discussed. Explanations of delinquency, ranging from biological characteristics to sociocultural phenomena, are presented. Each of the major theoretical perspectives is presented with a view toward theory testing as well as integrating these theories into common schools of thought. The varying contexts for adolescent socialization, including family, school, religion, and the media, are identified. Society's reaction to delinquency is described in terms of deterrence and labeling, institutionalization, and diversion. The work concludes with a discussion of the factors relevant to delinquency prevention. Epigraphs, tables, displays, cartoons, photographs, and two indexes are provided. (Author summary modified)