Juvenile delinquency in a developing country: a province example in Turkey

The aim of this study was to determine offence behavior, socio-demographic characteristics and some features of the juvenile offenders' families in a selected region, and compare with developed countries. A total of 165 juvenile offenders were included. Information was obtained by individually interviewing all children. Of a total of 165 juveniles, 162 (98%) were boys. The most frequently committed crimes were theft (52%) and wounding (20%). Of these juveniles, 33% were 14 years old when they committed offence, 21% had a history of an offence behavior, 14.5% had an offender sibling, 36% had smoking habits, 21% had a history of running away from home, and 28% had a history of internal migration. Mild psychiatric disorders were detected in 9 (5.4%) and 51% of them were not student at the time of offence behavior. Most of the families were crowded and had rather low economical and educational levels. Some features such as low income and low family educational levels, insufficient parental control, crowded family, migration, repetition of offences, and cigarette smoking were found to be risk factors for offensive behavior. These risk factors can be taken into consideration for the prevention of future crimes.     

Incestuous victimization by Juvenile Sex offenders

Most research and clinical data dealing with child sexual abuse have focused on adult offenders (usually a parent or relative) and their child victims. More recently, however, the data are beginning to show that a sizeable number of these sexual encounters are being committed by juvenile offenders. Thus, parents and members of the helping professions are beginning to see that what had previously been labeled sexual experimentation may be more serious. Using 37 cases drawn from the files of a local Children and Family Service agency that met the study definition of a juvenile sexual offense, data are reported on the following variables: the age difference between the victim and the offender, the relationship between victim and offender, the act involved, the context in which the act occurred, the pattern of the sexual contact, problems the offender exhibited that may have resulted from the sexual encounter, and general demographic data about the offender's family.     

Violent victimization and involvement in delinquency: Examining predictions from general strain theory

In a recent critique and elaboration of general strain theory, Agnew (2001) argued that criminal victimization might be among the most consequential strains experienced by adolescents, and therefore might be an important cause of delinquency. Few studies to date, however, had examined victimization as a potential cause—rather than outcome—of delinquency. This article addresses this void by examining predictions from general strain theory about the effects of victimization on later involvement in delinquency. The analyses indicated that violent victimization significantly predicted later involvement in delinquency, even when controlling for the individual's earlier involvement in delinquency. Moreover, general strain theory appears to be a useful theoretical framework for examining this relationship. The effects of victimization on delinquency were explained in part by its effects on anger (the key intervening variable specified by the theory). Partial support also emerged for the theory's hypothesis that the effects of strain should be conditional upon other factors. Specifically, the effects of victimization were marginally greater for juveniles with weak emotional attachment to their parents and significantly greater for those low in self-control.     

Experienced,vicarious, and anticipated strain: An exploratory study on physical victimization and delinquency

Most research on strain theory has focused on the effect of personally experienced strain on delinquency. This study focused on vicarious and anticipated strain; vicarious strain refers to the real-life strains experienced by others around the individual, while anticipated strain refers to the individual's expectation that current strains will continue into the future or that new strains will be experienced. Data from a national sample of adolescent boys were used to examine that type of strain involving physical victimization. A multiple regression analysis indicated that delinquency is related not only to experienced victimization, but also to certain types of anticipated and vicarious physical victimization.     

Juvenile delinquency and the juvenile justice system: U.S. and India

The paper deals with comparative issues in the definition, nature, and extent of juvenile delinquency, juvenile law, juvenile justice with special reference to India and the United States. Through an analysis of comparative data on patterns of delinquency differentials on the variables of sex, age, social class, and type of offense, the paper identifies the similarities between the two countries. The paper notes one exception regarding patterns of delinquency that indicate a relatively negligible involvement of the Indian juveniles in the crime of rape due to the cultural and socialization differences. The paper discusses the provisions under the Children Act of 1960 in India and points that both in philosophy and practice, the parens patriae doctrine in juvenile justice fares better in the Indian context. Unlike in the U.S., juveniles in India do not have certain Constitutional due process rights, such as the right to an attorney, yet the children courts in India serve as criminal courts and the Indian act provides for greater procedural safeguards. The paper also suggests that the disposition of juvenile cases in India results in lesser hard-core institutional commitment than in the U.S. and that the maximum period of punishment does not exceed the limits provided for the offense as stipulated by the Indian act.     

Risky lifestyles and dating violence: A theoretical test of violent victimization

Research consistently indicates that there are numerous risk factors associated with dating violence. Few studies, however, developed theoretical explanations for the prevalence of dating victimization. In this study victimization theories were tested that suggested risk-taking behaviors (i.e., drug abuse, alcohol abuse, driving under the influence, and sexual promiscuity) mediated the effects of social ties and emotional states on the likelihood of violent victimization in adolescent dating relationships. This model was tested using a representative sample of public high school students in South Carolina. The results confirm theoretical predictions and indicate the effects of social ties on dating victimization occur indirectly, through their antecedent influence on risk taking. These findings, therefore, lend support for a lifestyles theory explanation of violent victimization in adolescent dating relationships. The implications of this research for theory and social policy are discussed.     

Dangerous children: Juvenile delinquency and judicial intervention in the Netherlands, 1960–1995

In the continuing controversy in academic circles over the rise in reportedjuvenile violent delinquency, some scholars attribute it largely to theincrease in the actual number of offences while others emphasize changesin registration and intervention practices. This article reviews changes in theway justice workers try to control the behaviour of delinquent juveniles inthe Netherlands in the period 1960–1995. The study is based on ananalysis of files on adolescents and children placed in the Dutch juvenilejustice system by judges during the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.Comparing the older and recent files reveals that the interventions ofjuvenile justice workers became less harshly. This process has coincided witha rise in the severity of violence and crimes committed by the youngsters.As a result juvenile justice workers intervene indeed more frequently fromthe beginning of the 1980s, but still in a less punitive way. The externalconstraints in the Dutch judicial system are rather gentle and prudent, whilethe youngsters exercise more severe violence and crimes, suggesting furtherinquiry to the degree of autonomy of, and interaction between, adultsocialization among professionals and youth socialization.     

Juvenile delinquency as reflected by offenders of the borstal institute of Cameroon

This paper will describe the governmental structure of Papua New Guinea and the justice system. It identifies justice policy in relation to devolution and the involvement of the community in the justice system. After pointing out that in colonial times judicial powers were exercised at the village level it notes that the introduction of a Village Court system in 1975 and the commencement of Probation in 1985 have both served as a means of introducing custom into the legal system and into the justice system. Probation and Village Courts are discussed and constraints in their operation and development are identified. Other functions of the Probation Service which assist in giving the community a voice in sentencing and in the supervision of offenders are described. The paper concludes that although there has been no formal devolution policy until recently, the desirability of involving the community in the maintenance of law and order has been recognised, primarily through Village Courts and Probation. The fact that Provincial Governments have no law and order powers is identified as a factor marginalising Provincial Governments from the justice system and to that extent, the community within the Province. The paper suggests that policy makers need to address the position of the Provincial Governments within the justice system. Institutional devolution has been limited and there is scope for more to be done but adequate resources must be made available. Gender bias in the Village Court and within Probation as well as the attitude of the lower courts towards Probation are noted as constraints generally.     

Predicting juvenile delinquency: A review of correlates and a confirmation by recent research based on an integrated theoretical model

This study is an exploration of the effects of setting cases for trial in a court that permits jury trials for juveniles. Although few cases actually go to trial, cases set for trial have an impact on juveniles and the court. The study reported here is based on data from a study of 710 youths upon whom delinquency petitions were filed in a suburban court in 1980. Of these youths, 94 had cases set for trial and 7 actually went to trial.

The first part of the article gives a brief historical perspective on the juvenile right to jury trial, discusses why defense attorneys set cases to trial, and describes some of the difficulties in measuring the impact of jury trials. The second part reports on the impact of trial setting in “Suburban Court” on case outcomes and case processing time. A partial correlation analysis shows that there is no significant association between setting a case for trial and either adjudication or final disposition, even when other factors are held constant. Setting a case for trial has a significant association with long case processing times, however. Cases set for trial take almost twice as long as other cases to move from filing to adjudication.     

Organised crime groups in cyberspace: a typology

Three categories of organised groups that exploit advances in information and communications technologies (ICT) to infringe legal and regulatory controls: (1) traditional organised criminal groups which make use of ICT to enhance their terrestrial criminal activities; (2) organised cybercriminal groups which operate exclusively online; and (3) organised groups of ideologically and politically motivated individuals who make use of ICT to facilitate their criminal conduct are described in this article. The need for law enforcement to have in-depth knowledge of computer forensic principles, guidelines, procedures, tools, and techniques, as well as anti-forensic tools and techniques will become more pronounced with the increased likelihood of digital content being a source of disputes or forming part of underlying evidence to support or refute a dispute in judicial proceedings. There is also a need for new strategies of response and further research on analysing organised criminal activities in cyberspace.

Similarities and differences between perceptions of peer delinquency,peer self-reported delinquency,and respondent delinquency: An analysis of friendship dyads

Purpose

Despite the peer delinquency measurement debate having profound implications for research, looming questions remain about the validity of various forms of peer delinquency operationalizations. This study examines whether perceptions of peer delinquency form identical latent constructs to both respondent and peer self-reported delinquency.

Methods

Using a dyadic dataset of friendship pairs, confirmatory factor analysis and model comparison tests are used to determine the degree of similarity between perceptions of peer delinquency, respondent self-reported delinquency, and peer self-reported delinquency.

Results

Peer self-reports and respondent perceptions of peer delinquency load on unique constructs across a number of different behaviors. For most behaviors, respondent perceptions of peer delinquency and respondent self-reports load on separate constructs. Results further indicate that respondent and peer self-reported delinquency are separate latent constructs. Finally, the strength of the association between respondent and peer delinquency is substantively smaller in magnitude, by as much as a factor of three in some instances, when peer delinquency is measured via peer self-reports in place of respondent perceptions.

Conclusions

Reports of peer delinquency provided directly from peers demonstrate strong discriminant validity in relation to self-reported delinquency, while perceptions of peer delinquency demonstrate poorer discriminant validity, particularly for theft and violence constructs.     

Physical and property victimization behind bars: a multilevel examination

The majority of the extant literature on inmate victimization considers only one level of analysis, thus ignoring the interaction effects between inmate- and prison-level variables. To extend this literature, multilevel modeling techniques were used to analyze self-report data from more than 1,000 inmates and 30 prisons in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. Results revealed that demographic variables were strong predictors of physical victimization (i.e., race and assaultive behavior). Also, security level had a contextual direct effect on physical victimization. Property victimization was best explained with an integrated model including inmate (i.e., race, assaultive behavior, prior education, prior employment, and time served), contextual (i.e., security level and proportion non-White), and micro-macro interaction variables (i.e., Race x Security Level). Policy implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.     

Acculturation and mental health: Response to a culturally-centered delinquency intervention

There is a dearth of research examining intervention effectiveness for ethnic minorities and few studies have investigated within-group differences in response to treatment. This study examined the prevalence of mental health problems among Anglo- and Mexican-American juveniles entering probation and their response to a comprehensive intervention designed to address drug, alcohol, and mental health in a culturally-sensitive manner. We hypothesized that all youths would demonstrate mental health improvements from pretest to posttest, and the improvements would be equal for Mexican-American youth of varying levels of acculturation and an Anglo comparison group. Participants included a total of 103 adolescents ages thirteen to eighteen years, of whom 59 percent were male and 81 percent were Mexican American. Hypotheses were supported, indicating this comprehensive, community-based intervention targeting delinquent adolescents and their families was effective in improving mental health regardless of ethnic background or level of acculturation. That is, regardless of group differences in mental health problems at intake, youth with different cultural orientations reported significantly reduced levels of internalizing and externalizing behavior problems at posttest.     

Learning disabilities and delinquency: a study of Israeli prison inmates

Research consistently illustrates that several intellectual disabilities--namely, learning disabilities (LD), low intelligence, challenging behavior, and inadequate adaptive behavior, as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)--are considered risk factors for antisocial and criminal behavior. Although much attention has been paid to the relationship of LD, ADHD, and criminal behavior, three research topics have been overlooked: the frequency of LD with ADHD among inmates, the relationship between LD and/or ADHD and level of education among prisoners, and the connection between LD and/or ADHD and age of criminal onset. The present study examined the frequency of LD and ADHD in a sample of Israeli-born prisoners, in addition to the frequency of each category by itself, and it investigated the relationship of LD and/or ADHD, school dropout age, and onset of criminal activity.     

Gangs and delinquency

This study explores the meaning of police estimates of gang membership, by reviewing the characteristics of youth labeled as gang members in one western state, Hawaii, during 1991. Arrest patterns of these youth do not support the notion that they constitute a seriously violent subset of criminals. Indeed, nearly a third had not been arrested in the previous three years; notable too is the absence of a large number of weapon or drug arrests. These findings are amplified by data from a comparison of youth who were not labeled as gang members; these indicate that youth (in the City and County of Honolulu) who are delinquent differ little from those youth suspected of gang membership in terms of the frequency or severity of their offenses. Finally, the groups most commonly labeled by police as gang members are Filipino and Samoan males, but self-report data on gang membership indicate a somewhat different ethnic composition. The policy implications of these findings are also discussed.A previous version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Criminology, November 1992, New Orleans, Louisiana     

Cybercrime victimization among young people: a multi-nation study

This study examines cybercrime victimization, what some of the common characteristics of such crimes are and some of the general predictors of cybercrime victimization among teenagers and young adults. A combined four-country sample (Finland, US, Germany and UK; n = 3,506) is constructed from participants aged between 15 and 30 years old. According to the findings, online crime victimization is relatively uncommon (aggregate 6.5% of participants were victims). Slander and threat of violence were the most common forms of victimization and sexual harassment the least common. Male gender, younger age, immigrant background, urban residence, not living with parents, unemployment and less active offline social life were significant predictors for cybercrime victimization.     

Negativistic delinquency revisited a behavioral analysis

A generalized revision of Albert Cohen's theory of negativistic delinquency is presented. The antecedent conditions of that theory have been broadened to include all contradictions between ideals and the practices that might, but do not, carry them out. Anger produced by distributive injustice has replaced reaction-formation as a causal mechanism. As revised, the theory appears to explain a wider range of “ornery” activities, some of which were negative cases for the original Cohen theory.