NCJ Number
108525
Journal
Criminology Volume: 25 Issue: 3 Dated: (August, 1987) Pages: 643-669
Date Published
1987
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Data were collected through interviews with 98 predominantly black, violent juvenile delinquents and their primary caretakers to provide a description of family social processes and environments and the social domains and institutions with which they interact.
Abstract
Analyses of youths' reports yielded three family types: (1) interactionist families, exhibiting a high degree of internal interaction and bonding; (2) hierarchical families, characterized by parental dominance and the presence of family bond and interaction patterns; and (3) antisocial families, marked by criminality and family violence. Family variables had weaker explanatory power than did other social influences on violent delinquency. The relative contributions of family supervision practices and school environments varied by crime type. Social influences outside the family appeared to contribute as strongly to delinquency and violence during adolescence, regardless of early childhood experiences. Results are discussed with reference to social learning, control, and integrated theories of juvenile delinquency. 9 notes, 6 tables, and 59 references. (Author abstract modified)