Family and Crime

• NCJ Number: 113342
• Author(s): G W Knox
• Date Published: Unknown
• Length: 26 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Paper prepared for presentation at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association on August 24, 1988 in Atlanta, Georgia.

Annotation

This study examines several hypotheses found in the literature that draw a relationship between family and crime and also examines the significance of an inmate parent on a child's criminality. These hypotheses focus on birth order, sibling interaction, warmth and consistent discipline, family ties for tertiary prevention, and parental attachment.

Abstract

This study explores those hypotheses, using data from a research project carried out at the Cook County jail in Chicago, Ill. The study sample consisted of 264 female inmates and 118 male inmates and a control group of 147 nonoffenders. Findings suggest that changes must occur in the way that the family-crime relationship is conceived. Birth order alone does not explain variation in criminal relapse or recidivism. The findings do not support the notion that crime is learned in the family nor that 'warmth and consistent discipline' affect the relationships. Poverty appears to explain most problems, thus changes in social policies are needed. 27 references.