NCJ Number
129404
Date Published
1990
Length
22 pages
Annotation
An adequate understanding of juvenile delinquency must be based on institutional relationships and school-community contexts.
Abstract
Schools have become social settings in which delinquent behavior occurs, and school performance is a critical element in delinquent and criminal careers. A national study of violence in schools found that about 10 percent of students are responsible for most vandalism and violence in schools. The study also concluded that the most likely students to be victimized are young, male, and members of racial and ethnic minorities. School crime occurs primarily when supervision is lacking or diminished, for example, in hallways, stairs, toilets, and locker rooms. Of all institutional contexts of delinquent behavior, the greatest amount of attention has focused on the family. Communities vary a great deal in the nature of institutional influence they exert on juvenile delinquency. A study of two small communities revealed that youth are very much involved in the expressive rather than the instrumental side of youth culture. Another study of black and white gang communities found that delinquent behavior in lower-class black communities, compared to lower-class white communities, is more a part of the total life pattern in which delinquency is not as likely to create disjunctures with other types of behavior. In explaining juvenile delinquency, it is important to recognize that individuals, groups, institutions, and communities experience life in different ways. 29 notes, 2 tables, and 3 figures