NCJ Number
85394
Journal
Canadian Review of Sociology and Anthropology Volume: 18 Issue: 3 Dated: (1981) Pages: 343-361
Date Published
1981
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This paper analyzes data from delinquency studies carried out in Edmonton, Alberta, (Canada) and in Richmond, California. The nature and extent of self-reported delinquency are examined for males and females in the two studies, and correlates of delinquency in the two cities are compared on the basis of a theory representing an integration of differential association and control theories.
Abstract
The American sample consisted of 765 white females and 1,588 white males in grades 7 through 12; the Canadian sample was 571 male and 583 female 10th grade students. The results suggest that while some differences exist, the nature and extent of self-reported delinquency involvement are similar in the two cities studied. Findings from both samples, particularly with regard to sex ratios in delinquency, are similar to those of studies carried out elsewhere. The differential association and control theories were tested using family ties and school ties as indicators of a stake in conformity. The results indicated that the integrated theory explained more of the variance in self-reported delinquency than could either theory alone. While the integrated theory was more successful in explaining the delinquency of males than females, and of the Richmond sample than of the Edmonton sample, the results suggest that the explanation of delinquency involvement (i.e., that a dissociation from conventional controls is followed by new association with delinquent peers and the attempt to please them through deviant behavior), is applicable to all four groups. Similarities between the distribution and explanation of delinquency in the two cities bring into question the common view that delinquency studies are highly dependent upon time and place. Notes and 49 references are given.