PUBLIC'S VIEWS OF DELINQUENCY CAUSATION - A CONSIDERATION IN COMPREHENSIVE JUVENILE JUSTICE PLANNING

• NCJ Number: 51281
• Journal: Juvenile and Family Court Journal Volume: 29 Issue: 3 Dated: (AUGUST 1978) Pages: 39-45
• Author(s): N A REUTERMAN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 78 pages
• Corporate Author: National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

PUBLIC ATTITUDES ON THE CAUSES OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY WERE SURVEYED IN A SMALL MIDWESTERN TOWN (POPULATION APPROXIMATELY 10,000) LOCATED ON THE PERIPHERY OF A LARGE METROPOLITAN AREA.

Abstract

A 3-PERCENT SYSTEMATIC SAMPLE OF HOUSEHOLDS WAS SELECTED FROM THE CITY DIRECTORY. A BRIEF QUESTIONNAIRE (NOT PROVIDED) REGARDING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND JUVENILE JUSTICE WAS MAILED TO EACH; A TOTAL OF 168 WERE RETURNED FOR A RESPONSE RATE OF 56 PERCENT. THE RESPONDENTS WERE ASKED WHY CHILDREN AND YOUTH GET INTO TROUBLE WITH THE LAW. THE RESPONSES INDICATED 14 GENERAL CATEGORIES WHICH WERE MENTIONED REASONABLY OFTEN: LACK OF PARENTAL SUPERVISION, LACK OF PARENTAL DISCIPLINE, LACK OF PARENTAL CONTROL, PARENTAL INDIFFERENCE, MISCELLANEOUS HOME AND FAMILY INFLUENCES, PEER GROUP INFLUENCES, COMMUNITY INFLUENCES, SOCIETAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES, PURPOSIVE DELINQUENCY, LACK OF RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, GIVEN TOO MUCH FOR NOTHING, DRUGS AND ALCOHOL, PROBLEMS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT AND JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEMS, AND MISCELLANEOUS FACTORS. AFTER CODING INTO THE CATEGORIES, RESPONDENT COMPARISONS WERE MADE ALONG AGE, SEX, AND SOCIOECONOMIC DIMENSIONS. IN TERMS OF THE GENERAL POPULATION THERE WAS NO SYSTEMATIC VARIATION IN THE FREQUENCY OF THE CITATION OF PARTICULAR FACTORS. HOWEVER, FOR A NUMBER OF MENTIONED CAUSES (E.G., LACK OF PARENTAL SUPERVISION AND SOCIETAL AND CULTURAL INFLUENCES) THERE WAS A VARIATION ACROSS CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF THE SAMPLE. THE MIDDLE-AGED RESPONDENTS WERE LIKELY TO REGARD LACK OF SUPERVISION AS A CAUSE OF DELINQUENCY, WHILE YOUNGER AND OLDER RESPONDENTS WERE MORE LIKELY TO CITE PERMISSIVE TRENDS, POOR ENVIRONMENT, AND LACK OF EMPLOYMENT AS CAUSES. BLUE-COLLAR WORKERS WERE MUCH MORE LIKELY THAN WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS TO CITE LACK OF PARENTAL SUPERVISION, AND WOMEN WERE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO REGARD LACK OF PARENTAL SUPERVISION, MISCELLANEOUS HOME AND FAMILY INFLUENCES, AND DRUGS AND ALCOHOL AS CAUSING DELINQUENCY. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT PROGRAMS DIRECTED TOWARD THE VARIOUS CAUSES SHOULD MEET WITH VIRTUALLY EQUAL AMOUNTS OF SUPPORT OR NONSUPPORT FROM VARIOUS SEGMENTS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC. REFERENCES, DETAILS OF THE ANALYSIS, AND TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (KBL)