NCJ Number
81754
Date Published
1979
Length
176 pages
Annotation
The work contains two studies on the attitudes of juveniles, especially girls, toward deviant acts and on characteristics of juvenile delinquents.
Abstract
The first study compares the backgrounds of two samples of girls, one group under social control in an institution for supervised education and a second sample of comparable age but at liberty. The girls were interviewed regarding their educational history and the recorded interviews were then analyzed linguistically. Results show that the deviant girls generally had a poor relationship with their mothers, that they were overwhelmed by an incomprehensible, seemingly mechanical judicial system, and that the girls had been conditioned to be passive. The institutionalized girls had very negative self-images, a sense of powerlessness, and no hope for improvement in the future. The second study seeks to ascertain the attitude of juveniles toward particular deviant acts and to establish what legal norms should be revised to reflect current values. The survey sample consisted of 228 boys and girls who attended a theater festival in 1975 and 1976. Results from a self-administered questionnaire show that juveniles are likely to engage in certain types of proscribed behavior, e.g., theft, shoplifting, riding transportaion without a ticket, drunkenness, drug pushing, and prostitution are rare. Girls engage in the illicit activities almost as frequently as boys, but offenses committed by girls are usually less frequent and less aggressive than those committed by boys. The older juveniles are more likely than young ones to commit serious offenses. Boys are likely to commit violent crimes and thefts, while no offense subgroup is apparent for females. Tables are included in both studies, and a bibliography and sample questionnaire are provided for the second study.