Research on European Juvenile Delinquency - A Survey of Research and Research Results (From Papers on Crime Policy, P 13-49, by Karoly Bard, et al - See NCJ-102430)

• NCJ Number: 102432
• Author(s): M Joutsen
• Date Published: 1986
• Length: 37 pages
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Finland

Annotation

During 1983 the Helsinki Institute for Crime Prevention and Control, in consultation with other United Nations institutes, surveyed recent European research on the causes of and contributing factors in juvenile delinquency, delinquency prevention strategies, and delinquency treatment methods.

Abstract

The survey focused on research that addressed hypothesized sociological factors in delinquency subject to social planning, notably urbanization, unemployment, drug abuse, leisure activities for youth, the mass media's impact on youth, and juvenile delinquency among minority youth. Research generally shows that urbanization erodes the informal social controls on youth typically associated with rural society, although this is not inevitable. Youth unemployment combined with other circumstances increases the risk of delinquency, but unemployment per se is a weak factor in delinquency. Research has not demonstrated a mechanical link between urbanization, drug use, and delinquency, but has shown a strong correlation. The role of increased leisure in delinquency is related to the problems of social integration. Links between mass media violence and delinquency identified by research are tentative and require further investigation. Socialization difficulties due to discrimination generally place minority youth at risk of delinquency. Effective prevention strategies generally focus on intensifying informal social controls on youth, as do treatment methods, with incarceration being generally ineffective. 62 references.