NCJ Number
32305
Date Published
1973
Length
244 pages
Annotation
THE PURPOSE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EXAMINE THE PROCESSING OF JUVENILES IDENTIFIED AS HAVING COMMITTED A DELINQUENT OFFENSE BY THE POLICE IN THE CITY OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Abstract
THE MAJOR EMPHASIS OF THE STUDY WAS ON UNDERSTANDING DELINQUENCY IN TERMS OF THE DECISIONS THAT RESULT IN THE APPLICATION OF LABELS TO INDIVIDUALS AND/OR BEHAVIOR RATHER THAN IN TERMS OF WHAT CAUSES INDIVIDUALS TO BEHAVE IN A DELINQUENT MANNER. DISCUSSION OF THE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF THE LABELING PERSPECTIVE WAS PRESENTED AND USED AS A FRAME OF REFERENCE FOR A REVIEW OF THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY IN THE UNITED STATES. SEVERAL HYPOTHESES RELATED TO THE LABELING PERSPECTIVE WERE TESTED BY ANALYZING DATA FROM A SAMPLE OF CASE RECORDS OF JUVENILES IDENTIFIED BY THE POLICE AS HAVING COMMITTED A DELINQUENT OFFENSE IN THE CITY OF MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE. THE DATA INCLUDED BACKGROUND INFORMATION CONCERNING THE JUVENILES AND SCORES ON RATING SCALES USED TO MEASURE THE SUBJECTIVE COMMENTS MADE BY JUVENILE OFFICERS AND PROBATION OFFICERS IN THE CASE RECORDS. THE STUDY INDICATED THAT A NUMBER OF JUVENILES INITIALLY IDENTIFIED AS DELINQUENT BY THE POLICE FAIL TO SUBSEQUENTLY ACQUIRE THE OFFICIAL LABEL OF DELINQUENCY. THE FAMILY SITUATION OF JUVENILES WAS FOUND TO BE THE MOST IMPORTANT VARIABLE INFLUENCING CASE DISPOSITION LAW INVERSE RELATIONSHIP BEING REVEALED BETWEEN THE OCCUPATIONAL PRESTIGE AND STABILITY OF THE FAMILY AND THE SEVERITY OF CASE DISPOSITION. THIS STUDY ALSO INDICATED THAT THE MORE INVOLVEMENT THAT JUVENILES HAVE WITH THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, THE MORE LIKELY THEY WILL HAVE SUBSEQUENT INVOLVEMENT. IT FURTHER DEMONSTRATED THAT THE MORE NEGATIVE THE REACTION OF JUVENILE OFFICERS AND PROBATION OFFICERS IN THE FORM OF WRITTEN SUBJECTIVE COMMENTS IN CASE RECORDS, THE MORE SEVERE THE DISPOSITION BY THE JUVENILE DIVISION AND/OR JUVENILE COURT. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)