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.     

INFLUENCE AND SELECTION PROCESSES IN WEAPON CARRYING DURING ADOLESCENCE: THE ROLES OF STATUS,AGGRESSION, AND VULNERABILITY*

The role of peers in weapon carrying (guns, knives, and other weapons) inside and outside the school was examined in this study. Data stem from a longitudinal study of a high-risk sample of male students (7th to 10th grade; N = 167) from predominantly Hispanic low-socio-economic-status schools in the United States. Longitudinal social-network models were used to test whether similarity in weapon carrying among friends results from peer influence or selection. From a goal-framing approach, we argue that weapon carrying might function as a status symbol in friendship networks and, consequently, be subject to peer influence. The findings indicate that weapon carrying is indeed a result of peer influence. The role of status effects was supported by findings that weapon carrying increased the number of friendship nominations received by peers and reduced the number of given nominations. In addition, peer-reported aggressiveness predicted weapon carrying 1 year later. These findings suggest that adolescent weapon carrying emerges from a complex interplay between the attraction of weapon carriers for affiliation, peer influence in friendship networks, and individual aggression.     

EEG AS A PREDICTOR OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR

Slowing of alpha brain activity has been reported among antisocial individuals. One popular hypothesis to explain this slowing assumes a developmental lag, that is, brain immaturity. Studies to date have not established whether the brain wave activity precedes the development of antisocial behavior. The present longitudinal study attempts to answer this question by looking at EEG brain activity measures taken before the beginning of delinquent activity. Slower alpha patterns proved to be characteristic of later delinquents. The findings, however, do not support the developmental immaturity hypothesis.     

STRONG LEADERS? THE CHALLENGES AND PITFALLS IN MAYORAL LEADERSHIP

The questions executive mayors face regarding the fulfillment of their leadership role often reveal dilemmas and paradoxes. The subject of this article is how executive mayors cope with these dilemmas and paradoxes and whether or not the selection procedure matters. It presents results of a comparison of English elected mayors' interpretations of three dilemmas and Dutch appointed mayors' expectations of those same dilemmas. The first dilemma involves the creation of a sense of community versus multiplicity of inclusions and identities. The second dilemma concerns the need for strong leadership versus the networked character of society. The third dilemma involves that strong leadership is expected, potentially leading to leaders having a false image of strength. The results show that mayors must balance the dilemmas within the boundaries set by the leadership context. Second, the directly elected mayors in England differ little from centrally appointed mayors in The Netherlands regarding their handling of the dilemmas.