NCJ Number
147646
Journal
Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Dated: (January 1949) Pages: 32-41
Date Published
1949
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This article describes the role of the neighborhood in child conduct, identifies the primary neighborhood condition that fosters delinquency, and suggests ways to prevent juvenile delinquency.
Abstract
The neighborhood furnishes the setting in which the child is educated either for conventional or for delinquent behavior. If the values of the neighborhood are consistent, this consistency is likely to manifest itself in conventional behavior. When conventional institutions are weak, illegal institutions and activities develop and persist in the neighborhood. The conflict of values is likely to be reflected in high rates of violation of the conduct norms. Such neighborhoods are found in the inner areas of large cities. Both recreation and delinquency are group activities, and although one is legal and the other illegal, both satisfy many of the same needs of the child. Recreation in itself is not a cure for delinquency, although it is a socializing agency in its own right. Delinquency prevention involves the elimination of conflicting values from the neighborhood and the protection of the child from being labeled as a delinquent. Successful treatment of delinquents requires the reincorporation of the offender into conventional groups. Such a program requires some type of neighborhood action.