EVALUATING TWO MODELS OF DELINQUENCY CAUSATION STRUCTURAL THEORY AND CONTROL THEORY

• NCJ Number: 52833
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1978) Pages: 335-352
• Author(s): S A CERNKOVICH
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 18 pages
• Corporate Author: Sage Publications, Inc; American Soc of Criminology
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: REVISION OF A PAPER PRESENTED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY, ATLANTA, GEORGIA, NOVEMBER 16-20, 1977

Annotation

A STUDY IS DESCRIBED WHICH EXAMINES THE PREDICTIVE VALUES OF THE STRUCTURAL AND CONTROL MODELS FOR EXPLAINING THE CAUSES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY.

Abstract

THE STRUCTURAL THEORY OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY VIEWS THE INDIVIDUAL'S PARTICULAR SOCIOECONOMIC LEVEL AS A CRUCIAL VARIABLE IN THE ETIOLOGICAL PROCESSES LEADING TO DELINQUENCY INVOLVEMENT. CONTROL THEORY, ON THE OTHER HAND, SUGGESTS THAT DELINQUENCY IS THE RESULT OF WEAKENED OR BROKEN TIES TO THE CONVENTIONAL, NORMATIVE ORDER. THE ANALYSIS EXAMINES THE EXTENT TO WHICH VARIABLES DERIVED FROM BOTH STRUCTURAL AND CONTROL MODELS MAY BE SYNTHESIZED INTO A SINGLE CONCEPTUAL ORIENTATION SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICTIVE OF DELINQUENCY INVOLVEMENT. THE DATA PRESENTED WERE DERIVED FROM ANONYMOUS SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES ADMINISTERED TO A SAMPLE OF 412 MALE STUDENTS IN A PREDOMINANTLY WHITE HIGH SCHOOL IN A MIDWESTERN CITY. DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SAMPLE AND THE COMMUNITY DO NOT DIFFER SIGNIFICANTLY FROM NATIONAL AVERAGES. DATA WERE COLLECTED ON THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES: SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS; PERCEPTION OF LEGITIMATE OPPORTUNTIES (EDUCATIONAL, OCCUPATIONAL); VALUE ORIENTATION (CONVENTIONAL OR DELINQUENT VALUES); AND DELINQUENCY INVOLVEMENT (SELF-REPORTED ACTS FOR WHICH BOTH ADULTS AND JUVENILES CAN BE LEGALLY PROSECUTED). THE INITIAL PHASE OF THE DATA ANALYSIS, USING BIVARIATE ASSOCIATION ANALYSIS AND SEPARATE REGRESSION EQUATIONS FOR EACH OF THE TWO MODELS EXAMINED, INDICATED THAT BOTH THE STRUCTURAL AND CONTROL MODELS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY PREDICTIVE OF DELINQUENCY INVOLVEMENT. FURTHER REGRESSION ANALYSES, WHEREIN VARIABLES DERIVED FROM BOTH MODELS WERE INCLUDED IN A SINGLE REGRESSION EQUATION, SUGGESTED THAT THE COMBINED EFFECTS OF THE TWO MODELS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPROVED PREDICTIONS OF DELINQUENCY. VALUE ORIENTATIONS OF THE SUBJECTS WERE FOUND TO BE CENTRAL IN DETERMINING DELINQUENCY ACROSS SOCIOECONOMIC LEVELS, BUT LOWER SOCIOECONOMIC CONDITIONS, BY DIMINISHING THE UTILITY OF LEGITIMATE SOCIAL NORMS IN ACHIEVING ACQUISITIVE GOALS, TENDED TO FOSTER VALUES CONTRIBUTING TO DELINQUENCY. REFERENCES AND DATA OBTAINED FROM THE STUDY ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)