NCJ Number
81257
Date Published
1980
Length
25 pages
Annotation
The extent of delinquency among West German students is assessed and socialization responsibilities (i.e., criminality prevention efforts) delineated for all educational levels of the country's school system.
Abstract
School is seen as but one link in a series of interrelated factors (e.g., family relationships, living conditions, peers, etc.) that affect personality development. Kindergartens can only be an auxiliary support to a healthy family environment and not a substitute for it. The 4-year elementary grades are the only school setting where children of varying abilities and backgrounds are together; thus, careful monitoring of psychological and intellectual development at this level is crucial for determining students' further educational course. Those with learning or behavioral problems are placed in special schools; even greater numbers flock to college preparatory schools. The general schools (without qualifications for college) appear to lack prestige and purpose and have growing numbers of delinquents. A study of 1,034 12-to-14-year-olds identified 12.37 percent as exhibiting problem behavior at five graduations of seriousness, ranging from two petty thefts in 2 years to increasingly frequent and serious personal and property offenses. Juvenile status offenders and runaways are grouped in the fifth category -- criminally endangered/degenerate. Of the problem students, college preps constituted only 3.5 percent in the predelinquent category; all others came from the general and special education schools. Schools should also become aware of the victimization and abuse of children, which often leads to running away, suicide attempts, or delinquency involvement. School failure, exacerbated by poor relationships with peers and teachers, is clearly linked to delinquency. Recommendations urge close cooperation among home, school, and treatment professionals; integration of problem students with the mainstream; and avoidance of labeling school failures, which leads to predelinquent behavior patterns as compensation. Training for schoolteachers is necessary to heighten their awareness of the nature of juvenile delinquency and its prevention. Tabular data and footnotes are given.