NCJ Number
143554
Journal
Justice Quarterly Volume: 9 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1992) Pages: 552-583
Date Published
1992
Length
32 pages
Annotation
A model explaining juvenile delinquency factors was developed, based on five popular theories, and tested using data from a survey of 532 residents of a county juvenile detention center in a southwestern city.
Abstract
The model combined five theories: anomie, social control, differential association, labeling, and self- esteem. The temporal order of the model was based on a theoretical and sequential development of the individual toward engaging in delinquent behavior. The empirical test of the model used institutionalized youths because previous studies mainly surveyed nondelinquents or high school students who generally reported involvement only in minor delinquency. Data were gathered by means of a Likert-type questionnaire. Results revealed that the theories of differential association and anomie contributed the most to the model. The constructed model, based on a sequential development of the individual toward delinquent behavior, explained 29 percent of the variance of delinquent involvement for the youths studied. Findings suggested the need to test more comprehensive models for measuring juvenile delinquency and to summarily avoid rejecting any variable as theoretically and empirically irrelevant. Tables and 97 references