NCJ Number
78414
Date Published
1980
Length
243 pages
Annotation
This report examines the meaning of the concept of 'delinquency,' its historical antecedents, its accurate measurement, and professional opinion concerning the nature and extent of the problem in Canada between 1958 and 1973.
Abstract
It looks at trends in the overall juvenile crime rate and what possible influence fluctuations in the total juvenile population and age structure might have had on those trends. Also, cohort parameters are analyzed in order to determine what effect possible changes in the 'innate criminal potential' of successive generations of juveniles might have on the juvenile delinquency rate. Finally, trends in juvenile court dispositions are examined to see whether any systematic fluctuations in court dispositions have occurred. The study defined delinquent behavior as that which actually led to a juvenile's appearance in juvenile court. The juvenile court itself was the primary data source for this analysis. The study found that both the absolute number of juvenile offenses as well as the rate of offenses increased dramatically during the period studied. However, about 30-50 percent of this increase can be attributed to age structure and population fluctuations for the period of 1960-73. In addition, increases in the juvenile crime rate are much more a result of environmental factors than changes in any innate criminogenic potential in subsequent generations of juveniles. Moreover, the yearly fluctuations in court dispositions do not appear to indicate any long-term trends. Data tables, graphs, diagrams, and footnotes are included. Appendixes list study variables and their values, an index, and about 150 references.