Juvenile Delinquency in Switzerland Over 50 Years: Assessing Trends beyond Statistics

The general public seems to be convinced that juvenile delinquency has massively increased over the last decades. However, this assumption is much less popular among academics and some media where doubts about the reality of this trend are often expressed. In the present paper, trends are followed using conviction statistics over 50 years, police and victimization data since the 1980s, and self-report data collected since 1992. All sources consistently point to a massive increase of offending among juveniles, particularly for violent offences during the 1990s. Given that trends were similar in most European countries, explanations should be sought at the European rather than the national level. The available evidence points to possible effects of increased opportunities for property offences since 1950, and although causality remains hard to prove, effects of increased exposure to extreme media violence since 1985Swiss conviction statistics are based on registration in the national register of convictions. After 1971, minors were registered only in exceptional cases (Balvig 1988, p. 30)     

Juvenile Delinquency Guidelines: Improving Court Practice in Juvenile Delinquency Cases SIXTEEN KEY PRINCIPLES

This article is excerpted from the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges' landmark JUVENILE DELINQUENCY GUIDELINES: Improving Court Practice in Juvenile Delinquency Cases, Chapter I, Foundations for Excellence, published in 2005. Beginning with a basic discussion of why separate courts for juveniles and adults continue to be necessary, the article describes the goals and key principles of a juvenile delinquency court of excellence.     

Juvenile Delinquency and Victimization in Cyprus

Criminological and criminal justice research is a relatively new academic discipline in Cyprus. The current paper first examines and critiques official data on juvenile delinquency in Cyprus. As expected, the findings on delinquency and victimization gathered from self-reported surveys suggest higher rates of delinquency than those based on official statistics. This paper is based for a large part on data obtained from the International Self-reported Delinquency Study (ISRD-2), a national survey of 2385 Cypriot 12–16 year old pupils concerning a number of delinquency risk and protective factors. Those results were compared to the data collected as part of the ISRD-2 in five European Union (EU) member states, which – like Cyprus - joined the EU in 2004. This comparison focuses on data in the capitals of the six countries concerned. Research and delinquency prevention implications are discussed.     

Preventing Juvenile Delinquency in Taiwan

The people and government of Taiwan have made special efforts to curb the increasing juvenile delinquency of recent years. This report provides the most current statistics concerning juvenile delinquency, and describes the prevention programs administered by the different branches of the government and other organizations. Based on cultural tradition, the programs are mostly primary prevention directed at the general population and focus on improving family relationships.     

Juvenile Delinquency in Post-Mao China

The post-Mao de-politicization put an end to the continuous class struggle in China. After the post-Mao government had removed the radical elements from the party and united the society by its appealing modernization program, it directed its attention to street crime and juvenile and young offenders. Crime committed by juvenile and young offenders has become a serious social problem. It is estimated that among the total offenders apprehended by the police, 70% are under the age of 25, and 30% under the age of 18. Despite the party's tough policy, juvenile crime is increasing and becoming more organized and violent. The paralysis of the Maoist social control system is stressed in explaining the increase in crime. The disruption in the family structure, in school and work patterns, and in neighbourhood organizations, in conjunction with a sweeping crisis of belief among the populace in general, has created a vacuum of social control in post-Mao Chinese society. The seriousness of juvenile delinquency and the lack of community undertakings have forced the government to institutionalize and legalize its control over juvenile and young offenders.     

Reintegrative Shaming and Juvenile Delinquency in Japan

The Japanese juvenile justice system has been widely regarded as operating based on the principles of reintegrative shaming. Reintegrative shaming, as opposed to a stigmatizing form of shaming, communicates disapproval of wrongdoing with respect, and emphasizes rehabilitation, reintegration, and restoration. Central to reintegrative shaming at the initial contact point of the criminal justice system in Japan are apology and diversion by the local police. Citing juvenile delinquency cases reported in a major national newspaper in Japan, this study analyzes to what extent the community reacted to the delinquency upon its commission. This analysis helps clarify the juvenile justice process in Japan, and sheds light on the theory and practice of reintegrative shaming.     

Juvenile Delinquency in the Cross-Cultural Context: The Egyptian Experience

This essay is a theoretical analysis of the cultural and structural factors that define and explain the extent of juvenile delinquency in the Arab Republic of Egypt. While delinquency in the United States and other Western countries continues to increase in rates as well as in the degree of violence, juvenile delinquency in Egypt remains relatively stable and remarkably benign. This can be attributed to three main factors: (a) an orthodox religion-based value system in which Islamic institutions exert dominant influences on the day-to-day moral behavior of juveniles; (b) a closely-knit family structure that functions within a communitarian environment in which children are constantly disciplined whereas they are taught socially acceptable behavior and shamed when they succumb to criminal behavior; and (c) an extraordinarily progressive juvenile justice system, which treats delinquency as a social phenomenon rather than a criminal endeavor. The study presents statistical data, based on official statistics, which show the levels of predelinquent and delinquent activity in the different provinces based on their degree of urbanization. Furthermore, the study attempts to explain the reasons behind the present deviance in society by discussing the possible impact of Social Control Theory, Strain Theory, and the idea of Relative Deprivation. The more serious aspects of deviance, it appears, emerged during the infitah era (economic opening) championed by president Sadat in the mid-seventies as an attempt to modernize—and westernize—the traditionally conservative nation.     

日本未成年人犯罪与预防——以日本福井县未成年人犯罪为调查对象

日本是世界发达国家中未成年人犯罪率极低的国家,学者提出了许多理论去解释这种犯罪状况.笔者通过对日本福井县的实地考察,发现这一现象与日本发达的少年预防犯罪体系及少年司法制度有关,其主要通过裁判所优先主义、审前的调查先行主义和观察监护制度、审判处理时的保护处分制度以及审后的社会复归程序等防治措施,确保有效地改造青少年和收到预防青少年犯罪的良好效果.其经验十分值得我国借鉴.     

Juvenile Delinquency in the Federal Republic of Germany

Juvenile delinquency has gained recognition worldwide as one of the most prominent criminological problem areas as well as a pressing crime political issue. The current state of this field in Germany is characterized by a tremendous increase after World War II, similar to other west European countries, but slightly leveling down since the Eighties. However, the great bulk of juvenile delinquency is built by minor offenses-in particular petty theft and non-serious road traffic offenses. Violence (although with an enormous increase), illegal drug offenses, and sexual crimes make together not more than one fifth of the total volume of youth crime. On the whole, juvenile delinquency represents the deviant behavior of young males; the proportion of female crime—although increasing too- is not higher than three decades ago, and consists mainly of shoplifting and bicycle theft. Youngsters of foreign groups or minorities are more involved in delinquency at present than in the Seventies or earlier, partly in activities of violent groups. While, in the past, rockers mainly got attention, now soccer hooligans and violent right-wing skinheads, especially when attacking minority people and asylum seekers, are in the forefront of public interest. This is true for East and West Germany. In general, the delinquents come mostly from the lower social strata, show socialization defects, have reduced start chances, are often unemployed, and are without or have less social support by their families. With regard to this, criminological experts favor socialization theories, social learning and control theories to explain these phenomena, emphasizing the binding forces of the underlying orientation of moral values. The corresponding guidelines of juvenile crime policy give preference to the application of non-custodial measures and diversion strategies on one hand, and to the reduction of freedom-depriving sanctions like community service or offender-victim-mediation on the other, indicating a successive retreat from a traditional punitive concept.     

未成年犯罪的司法救济研究

未成年犯罪问题是我国面临的一个突出的社会问题,近年来,未成年人犯罪呈逐年上升趋势。由于未成年人的生理、心理不同于成年人,我国对犯罪的未成年人采取保护性法律制度,实行教育、感化、挽救的方针和教育为主、惩罚为辅的原则。鉴于目前我国法律对未成年人犯罪问题尚未形成完整的法律体系,还没有独立的未成年人犯罪实体法和程序法,需要各级司法机关进一步探索完善未成年犯罪的司法救济体系,比如少年法庭体系,暂缓起诉制度,改变刑事单一化的现状,突破审判单一化的局限,重新确定法官评价体系及法官职能摈弃指定管辖的做法等。     

未成年人犯罪的预防研究

未成年人犯罪对社会的危害性非常大 ,依据《预防未成年人犯罪法》的规定 ,预防未成年人犯罪遵循独特的原则 ,如教育与保护原则、综合治理原则等。预防未成年人犯罪还具有其特点 ,要采取不同于预防成年人犯罪的教育方法。鉴于未成年人犯罪的心理原因 ,对未成年人进行心理健康的教育、心理的疏导与救治就显得尤为重要     

未成年人犯罪的社会预防

未成年人犯罪的社会预防@董新民$河北省邯郸市公安局!056002@冯聚民$河北省邯郸市公安局!056002     

China's Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Law: the law and the philosophy

The present study introduces and discusses the Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Law of the People's Republic of China. The law was promulgated in the context of Chinese socioeconomic reforms and legal reforms in response to the rising delinquency since the early 1980s. The study explains the social and political background of the law with respect to the patterns of delinquency in China. The law has several main features that reflect the Chinese philosophical underpinnings of crime prevention and control, and the study discusses the connection between the law and the traditional Chinese philosophy and thinking. Finally, the study discusses the challenges to the enforcement of the law in Chinese society, which has lacked a legal tradition in its history.     

关于未成年人犯罪原因的思考

在我国,未成年人犯罪通常是指已满14周岁不满18周岁的未成年人实施的刑法和有关刑事法律所规定的犯罪行为。目前,未成年人犯罪日益低龄化、凶残化及智能化。作为一种社会现象,未成年人犯罪是有其特定原因的。只有找准原因,才能从源头入手,有效防止未成年人犯罪日益频发。本文从心理学和社会学两方面入手剖析原因。     

Self-Reported Delinquency and Alienation: A Study of Juvenile Crime

Based on a probability sample of 7542 from the seventh, ninth, 11th grade students of the Toledo metropolitan area, this study, using self-reported delinquency, investigated the relationship between alienation and deviant behavior. A positive association between alienation (normlessness and societal estrangement) and self-reported delinquency were observed. The degree of association and the direction still maintained when controlled for the age and sex of the students.     

北京市未成年人犯罪实证研究

近年来,越来越多的人开始关注未成年人犯罪预防问题。未成年人犯罪的预防,必须建立在对未成年人犯罪现象的科学分析、对犯罪原因的准确把握的基础之上。为此,我们以未成年人犯罪的现象和原因为切入点展开实证调查。样本是2000年至2003年4年间北京市未成年犯管教所入狱的全部少年犯。调查内容主要是北京市未成年人的犯罪数量、犯罪特征和犯罪原因等。希冀本调查能够有助于北京市未成年人犯罪的预防和矫正。