DESIGN OF A STUDY TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF INCOME MAINTENANCE ON DELINQUENCY - FINAL REPORT

• NCJ Number: 63797
• Author(s): L P GROENEVELD; J F SHORT; P THOITS
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 123 pages
• Grant Number(s): 78-JN-AX-0001
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: SRI International
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/; SRI International
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE FEASIBILITY OF USING DATA FROM THE SEATTLE AND DENVER INCOME MAINTENANCE EXPERIMENTS (SIME/DIME) COMBINED WITH DATA FROM OTHER SOURCES TO STUDY DELINQUENCY IN LOW-INCOME SUBJECTS IS EXAMINED.

Abstract

THE STUDY WAS NOT INTENDED TO EXHAUST THE POTENTIAL OF SIME/DIME FOR ADDRESSING QUESTIONS RELATED TO DELINQUENCY, BUT RATHER TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF ADDRESSING SUCH QUESTIONS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE INCOME MAINTENANCE EXPERIMENTS. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATIONS OF SEVERAL APPROACHES TO STUDYING DELINQUENCY IN THE SIME/DIME SAMPLE AND AN INDEPTH INVESTIGATION OF ONE APPROACH--OBTAINING OFFICIAL RECORDS OF CONTACTS WITH THE POLICE FROM THE SEATTLE AND DENVER POLICE DEPARTMENTS--WERE MADE. THE FEASIBILITY OF GATHERING DATA FROM SOURCES SUCH AS RECORDS OF THE COURTS, THE FBI, AND SUBURBAN POLICE DEPARTMENTS WAS ALSO EXAMINED, AS WERE THE BENEFITS OF SUBJECT INTERVIEWS. A SAMPLE OF 1,411 JUVENILES FROM THE SIME/DIME POPULATION WHO WOULD ENTER THE MOST DELINQUENCY-PRONE AGES DURING THE EXPERIMENT WAS STUDIED IN DETAIL. THE SAMPLE INCLUDED BLACKS AND WHITES OF BOTH SEXES. POLICE RECORD FOR THE SAMPLE AND THEIR FAMILY WERE STUDIED AND THESE DATA WERE MERGED WITH INFORMATION ON THE INDIVIDUAL JUVENILES AND THEIR FAMILIES. THE COMBINED DATA SET WHEN ANALYZED REVEALED LITTLE EVIDENCE OF AN INCOME-MAINTENANCE EXPERIMENTAL EFFECT ON DELINQUENCY. SEVERAL NONEXPERIMENTAL VARIABLES HOWEVER, HAD IMPORTANT EFFECTS: RACE, PRIOR OFFENSE, FAMILY INCOME, AGE, AND EMPLOYMENT OF MOTHER AND FATHER. BEHAVIOR OF OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS ALSO INFLUENCED JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. MOTHERS BEING EMPLOYED INCREASED COMMISSION OF SONS' STATUS OFFENSES; PRESENCE OF A SIBLING WITH AN OFFENSE RECORD INCREASED DELINQUENCY FOR BOTH MALES AND FEMALES; PARENTAL ASPIRATINS FOR CHILDREN WERE SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATED TO DELINQUENCY, AS WAS PARENTS' MARITAL STABILITY. INDIVIDUAL REPORT CHAPTERS PRESENT STUDY METHODOLOGY, DISCUSS IMPACT OF THE EXPERIMENT ON GENERAL DELINQUENCY AND ON DELINQUENCY AMONG LOW-INCOME POPULATIONS, AND PROVIDE THE STUDY EVALUATION AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH. APPENDIXES DESCRIBE THE INCOME MAINTENANCE EXPERIMENTS AND GIVE ADDITIONAL DETAILS ABOUT THE POLICE RECORDS DATA COLLECTION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DAG)