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STUDIES EXPLAINING DELINQUENCY.
Term Paper ID:28697
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Essay Subject:
Discusses various theories, problems that cause delinquency, esp. among inner-city youth.... More...
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5 Pages / 1125 Words
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses various theories, problems that cause delinquency, esp. among inner-city youth.
Paper Introduction:
Explaining Delinquency
The studies undertaken by Thornberry, Moore and Christenson (1985), Wells and Rankin (1991) and Fagan, Weis and Cheng (1990) attempted to examine the relationship between dropping out of school, broken homes and substance use and delinquency, respectively. Essentially, each study did determine that such a relationship exists, but each also determined that these relationships are considerably more complex than they may initially appear.
Thornberry et al. (1985) attempted to determine the effect of dropping out of high school on an individual's subsequent criminal behavior. They noted that strain and control theories of delinquent behavior offered divergent assessments of the relationship between school and delinquency, particularly for lower-class youths. Stra
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The purpose of the study was to provide data that could be used toestimate the incidence and prevalence of delinquency and drug use amongjuveniles in inner-city neighborhoods. identified four categories of juvenile subjects for theirstudy. "Delinquency and substance useamong inner-city students." Journal of Drug Issues, 2 , pp. Alcohol was considered the least serious drug,followed by marijuana, then other drug such as cocaine, PCP, barbituratesand amphetamines, and finally heroin or other opiates (Fagan et al., 199 ,p. 1 2-1 3). The second were serious delinquents, who reported one or two offensesor three or more incidents (usually weapons offenses). (1985). 71-9 . Rather,that study suggested that substance use is a function of the type ofdelinquency in which a juvenile engages, instead of a cause of delinquencyin general. & Christenson, R. Consequently, they undertook a study to develop a"systematic, quantitative, integrative assessment of existing research" onthe relationship between broken homes and delinquency (Wells & Rankin,1991, p. However, the study by no means determined thatdrug use is a significant causative factor in juvenile delinquency. 85). Substance use was ranked according to the intensity of the high thesubstance used created, with a minimum of three annual uses necessary toqualify as habitual use. 88). determined that, while all four types of delinquentsreported some form of substance use, more serious juvenile offenders usesubstances more frequently. "Families and delinquency: A meta-analysis of the impact of broken homes." Social Problems, 38, pp. Explaining Delinquency The studies undertaken by Thornberry, Moore and Christenson (1985),Wells and Rankin (1991) and Fagan, Weis and Cheng (199 ) attempted toexamine the relationship between dropping out of school, broken homes andsubstance use and delinquency, respectively. 1 5). Fagan et al. Theynoted that strain and control theories of delinquent behavior offereddivergent assessments of the relationship between school and delinquency,particularly for lower-class youths. Fagan et al. 88). In essence, Wells & Rankinsought to determine whether any study or studies had conclusively proven arelationship between broken homes and delinquency. 88). 1 6). The study also determined that the prevalence of inner-cityyouths with serious delinquency and serious drug abuse problems is small(Fagan et al., 199 , p. 3-18. However, Wells and Rankin (1991, p.81) note that the support for this theory has been incomplete andinconclusive. & Cheng, Y. Strain theory argues that schoolincreases delinquent conduct because it reinforces an individual's feelingsof failure and frustration. Thornberry et al. 81). However, the study also attempted totest contemporary theories of the relationship between substance use andjuvenile delinquency by identifying the social correlates thatdifferentiate the various patterns of both types of behavior (Fagan et al.,199 , p. & Rankin, J. The study determined that substance use washierarchical in that users of more serious drugs also used less seriousdrugs and at higher rates than youths in the less serious categories (Faganet al., 199 , p. (199 ). Significantly, however, the results also demonstrated thatcriminal behavior across all the groups interviewed declined substantiallythroughout the early 2 s (Thornberry et al., 1985, p. Substance users were categorized as nonusers or users of alcohol,marijuana, and/or hard drugs. studied the relationship between drug use and delinquencyin urban areas with very high rates of serious juvenile crime (199 , p.1 ). Fourth and final were pettydelinquents, who reported no offense but three or fewer minor incidents(Fagan et al., 199 , pp. Essentially, each study diddetermine that such a relationship exists, but each also determined thatthese relationships are considerably more complex than they may initiallyappear. 84). "The effect ofdropping out of high school on subsequent criminal behavior." Criminology,23, pp. Specifically, Wells &Rankin sought to determine the following: (a) the overall associationbetween parental absence and juvenile delinquency, (b) the variation inpattern of effects across different studies, and (c) the extent to whichthe relationship between broken homes and delinquency varies according tomethodological factors and substantive factors. Criminal involvement was the dependentvariable, which was measured by each student's arrest record before andafter they left school (Thornberry et al., 1985, p. The first were multiple-index offenders who reported at least threetypes of offenses (usually personally violent felonies) within the pastyear. On the other hand, the results did demonstrate thatdropping out of high school was positively related to adult criminalinvolvement. Fagan et al. However, rather than the usual narrative research review thatinterpreted and judged the scope and conclusions of prior studies, Wells &Rankin (1991) applied a meta-analytic approach. 1 3). 1 ). note that both theories have found empiricalsupport; however they also note that such support can be explained byarguing that strain theory demonstrates the short-term effect of droppingout of school, while control theory demonstrates its long-term effects. Significantly, they also determined thatstudies within the medical/psychiatric orientations tended to show a higheraverage correlation between broken homes and delinquency than did studieswith other disciplines. Third were minordelinquents, who reported no offenses but one or two incidents in the pastyear or four or more "minor" incidents, which included drug sales, minortheft, assault, vandalism and others. 1 3). 88). The study attempted to measure drop-outstatus as an independent variable based on interviews with high school drop-outs, taking into account the age at which they left high school, andstudents who completed high-school. The results of Thornberry et al.'s study did not support the straintheory that dropping out of school will reduce delinquency in the short-term (1985, p. Wells & Rankin found that most studies demonstrated a positiverelationship between broken homes and juvenile delinquency (1991, p. Wells & Rankin's meta-analysis targets the broken home as thestructural issue that causes juvenile delinquency and crime (1991, p. 83).In particular, they found support for the theory that a juvenile's familystructure will impact the type of delinquency in which he or she engages.For example, most delinquents from broken homes engage in status offensesuch as drug use (possession) (Wells & Rankin, 1991, p. The purpose of Thornberry et al.'s study was to reevaluate the short-and long-term effects of the association between dropout status and latercriminal involvement (1985, p. Thornberry, T., Moore, M. Thornberry et al. (1991). 351-4 2. 85). On the other hand, control theory argues thatdropping out of school increases delinquent behavior because it reduces theinstitutional control that restrains a student (Thornberry et al., 1985, p.87). Many theorists have offered the broken home as one of the most commonexplanations for juvenile delinquency. The study alsomeasured for race, social status, marital status and unemployment. Rather, factors such as peer delinquency,school integration, maternal supervision and the juvenile's attitudestoward the law were more significant causative factors that substance use(Fagan et al., 199 , p. Such an approach appliesrecently developed quantitative methods to systematically summarize andanalyze the results of multiple independent studies of a given topic (p.81). Wells & Rankin conclude that such differences canbe attributed to the medical profession's use of small contrived samplesfrom groups previously determined to be delinquent (1991, p. Consequently, criminal conduct declines after astudent drops out of school. However, whencontrolled for age (age generally has a negative effect on criminalinvolvement), the study determined that dropping out of high school ispositively related to criminal involvement (Thornberry et al., 1985, p.88). Also, Wells &Rankin found little statistical significance on the effect of white versusblack youths and the effect according to the child's age at the time thehome becomes broken (1991, p. References Fagan, J., Weis, J. (1985) attempted to determine the effect of droppingout of high school on an individual's subsequent criminal behavior. Wells, L. 82).They argue that the broken home as a causative factor in delinquency can besubmitted to such an analysis because it is a relatively clear conceptacross disciplines that can be objectively measured. Notably, the study's self reportsdemonstrated that serious delinquency among inner-city youths occurs at aconsistent distribution with such delinquency in the general population.
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