STATUS OFFENSES - A LEGAL TERM WITHOUT MEANING - AN EMPIRICAL DEMONSTRATION

• NCJ Number: 65877
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 17 Issue: 1 Dated: (JANUARY 1980) Pages: 114-125
• Author(s): M LEBLANC; L BIRON
• Date Published: 1980
• Length: 12 pages
• Corporate Author: National Council on Crime and Delinquency
• Sale Source: National Council on Crime and Delinquency; UMI Dissertation Services; Institute for Scientific Information
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: PRICE QUOTED FOR NCCD IS A SINGLE ISSUE PRICE.

Annotation

THE EXTENT AND EVOLUTION OF STATUS OFFENSES AMONG 14-TO-18-YEAR OLDS IN MONTREAL, CANADA, ARE EXAMINED AS IS THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN DETERRENCE AND STATUS OFFENSES.

Abstract

AN INITIAL RANDOM SAMPLE OF 3,070 SUBJECTS WAS DRAWN IN 1974 FROM FRENCH-SPEAKING STUDENTS WHO WERE REGISTERED IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SCHOOLS IN THE MONTREAL AREA. FROM THIS GROUP, 825 SUBJECTS WERE SELECTED FOR THE 1976 STUDY. THE BOYS AND GIRLS WERE AGED 14 TO 18 IN 1976. THE SUBJECTS WERE MET IN GROUP SETTINGS AND WERE GIVEN SELF-REPORT QUESTIONNAIRES. THEIR RESPONSES WERE ANALYZED ACCORDING TO A STATUS-OFFENSE SCALE AND VARIOUS SUBSCALES OF DELINQUENCY. THE GOAL WAS TO DEAL FIRST WITH THE EXTENT OF STATUS OFFENSES AND THEIR EVOLUTION, AND THEN EXAMINE THE QUESTION OF WHETHER OR NOT STATUS OFFENDERS INCREASINGLY ENGAGED IN MORE SERIOUS MISBEHAVIOR. A THIRD ANALYSIS EXAMINED THE RELATION, IF ANY, BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT MEASURES OF DETERRENCE AND THE OCCURRENCE OF STATUS OFFENSES. SEVEN ITEMS WERE USED TO MEASURE STATUS OFFENSE INVOLVEMENT: ALCOHOL USE, HETEROSEXUAL RELATIONS, HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONS, RUNNING AWAY FROM HOME, TRUANCY, CURFEW VIOLATIONS, AND DISOBEDIENCE TO PARENTS. EACH ITEM WAS DICHOTOMIZED AND THE SEVEN ITEMS WERE SUMMED UP. STUDY RESULTS INDICATE THAT STATUS OFFENSES ARE RATHER PREVALENT AND DO NOT APPEAR TO BE COMMITTED BY A SPECIAL CLASS OF YOUTHS. STATUS OFFENSE BEHAVIOR SEEMS TO INCREASE GREATLY UNTIL AROUND 16 YEARS OF AGE AND LATER STABILIZES AT A HIGH LEVEL. SOCIETY TOLERATES THESE OFFENSES MORE AND MORE AS ADOLESCENTS APPROACH THE AGE OF MAJORITY. STUDY RESULTS, THEREFORE, DO NOT SUPPORT A DETERRENT EFFECT OF ARREST ON STATUS OFFENSES INASMUCH AS THE APPARENT ASSOCIATION DOES NOT HOLD STRONGLY WHEN MORAL COMMITMENT IS CONTROLLED. POLICY IMPLICATIONS INCLUDE THE SUGGESTION THAT PINS (PERSONS IN NEED OF SUPERVISION) LAWS BE RESTRICTED TO ENVIRONMENTAL SITUATIONS AND THAT ALL BEHAVIORAL COMPONENTS BE ELIMINATED FROM THESE LAWS. TABLES, FOOTNOTES, AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (PRG)