NCJ Number
147184
Date Published
1968
Length
243 pages
Annotation
The inhabitants of the Addams area one of Chicago's oldest slums inhabited by blacks, Italians, Puerto Ricans and Mexicans were studied between 1962 and 1965. Of particular interest to the author were the attempts to establish moral order within the community and the "group" activity of its adolescents.
Abstract
The area had a high delinquency rate, many unwed mothers, and several adolescent gangs. To outsiders, the local residents seemed to have rejected conventional norms. However, the inhabitants created their own intricate set of standards which required discipline and self-restraint, much like the moral dictates of the wider community. Four ethnic sections populated mainly by African Americans, Italians, Puerto Ricans, and Mexicans made up the Addams area. Each of the populations had arrived in the area at different times and was at a different stage in the development of a provincial order. This study looks at the interaction within each of these groups and between the groups. The role of local institutions and patterns of communication are discussed. The composition, relationships and activities of street corner groups, to which about half of the area's boys belonged at some point during their adolescence, is addressed. 4 figures, 6 maps, 25 tables, bibliography