NCJ Number
114386
Date Published
1988
Length
25 pages
Annotation
By combining official statistics with self-report data for 1978 through 1981-1982, it is possible to derive a clearer picture of juvenile delinquency in the Netherlands.
Abstract
The combined data indicate that juvenile delinquency is more widespread than is apparent from official data. Most respondents report only one or two offenses and abandon delinquent behavior rather quickly. Girls commit considerably fewer offenses than do boys; their delinquency is less serious, usually property offenses; yet delinquency rates have grown at a faster rate for girls than boys since the 1970's. Both data sources indicate a strong relationship between delinquency and age. While social status, as defined by paternal occupation, is scarcely associated with delinquency, education level is. Juveniles of high socioeconomic status but low educational level commit more offenses than do those of low status but high education level. Both official statistics and self-report data indicate a strong relationship between size of city of residence and degree of urbanization and delinquency. No relationship appears to exist between delinquency and the juvenile's employment status. These results mirror those in many Western European countries and the United States. The Netherlands differs more in its response to the problem of delinquency than in the problem itself. 5 figures, 13 tables, and 14 references.