The present investigation was focused on the problem of identification and detection of Juvenile delinquency. The purpose of the study was to determine if Juvenile delinquents whose first offenses were runaway or auto theft differ significantly from non-delinquents of a church group. The two delinquent groups were examined to determine if a significant difference existed.

Delinquency and criminal penalties of youth The aim of my thesis is to focus on juvenile delinquency and analyze it as a whole especially from the perspective of the causes, evolution, structure and control of delinquency and subsequent penalties for young offenders. The thesis is comprised of five chapters, each divided into sections. Chapter one follows the Introduction and defines basic terms which occur throughout the thesis. Chapter two is divided into two sections specifying basic indexes of youth delinquency. The second section provides a statistical support for these with a description of youth delinquency evolution since the late 20th century until now. The third chapter focuses on the causes of delinquency of youth and is thematically divided into two sections. The first one deals with the internal factors of crime, as opposed to the second section, divided into three subsections in accordance with the external factors - namely family, school and leisure time. The fourth chapter deals with the control of youth crime, and is again divided into two sections. Whilst the first refers to the importance of preventive control, the second section focuses on its equally important counterpart, the repressive component. The fifth chapter is divided into three sections and summarizes the sanctions that are...

Vandalism, as one facet of juvenile delinquency, has received scant attention from social scientists in North America. This reflects the relatively low proportion of all delinquent acts which can be described as "vandalism" on the one hand and the efforts of social scientists to develop all-encompassing theories of delinquency causation on the other. This study has proceeded on the premise advanced by Alfred Kahn in his book, Planning Community Service for Children in Trouble, that community service must not be built on the assumption that delinquents are a homogeneous group. Kahn maintains that our efforts will be more fruitful if we develop an awareness of the heterogenity of the group. Therefore, this study represents an initial, exploratory study of juvenile vandalism to determine what, if any, factors set juveniles who indulge in vandalism apart from other delinquents. A descriptive-diagnostic research design suited the exploratory nature of the study and permitted the use of the experience survey method. A survey of the literature on juvenile delinquency gave focus and direction to the study. The questionnaires developed for the study were based to a large extent upon theories extracted from the literature. A survey of the literature, questionnaires, the examination of records, interviews, and case studies were the methods utilized. Data was obtained from law-enforcement agencies and from public and private business organizations in the City of Vancouver. Vandalism occurs in all areas of the community and in all social classes. Predominantly a group activity of younger male juveniles, vandalism is characterized by contagion from group member to group member and from group to group. Vandal acts occur in areas or situations isolated in various ways from direct observation. Reports on the incidence of vandalism from non-law-enforcement sources in the City indicate that this crime occurs more frequently in middle-class and upper-class areas but the juvenile court records show that the majority of juveniles appearing in Court reside in the lower-class areas. These findings indicate the middle-class attitude of the official court system and the prevalence of delinquency in the more affluent class of society. The need for detailed research into the delinquent activities of the upper-class juveniles pleads to be recognized. Until society permits further research into delinquent behaviour to focus equally upon all strata of society, complete comprehension of the act of juvenile vandalism in the City of Vancouver will not be achieved. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Leung, Sophia Ming Ren; Pittman, Robert Graham; Wills, Madlyn Gertrude / Graduate

The problem of this investigation was to test the motor performances of Haney Correctional Institution inmates, compare their performances to various norm populations, find out if their motor performances improved after they stayed for a short period of time in the Institution, determine whether their motor performances were typical for the dominant physique type of delinquents and decide whether factors such as size, maturity and mental performance had any relationship to their motor performances. The purpose of the investigation was to arrive at some kind of a "motor performance picture" of delinquents, as compared to the "normal population." It was hypothesized that: (a) inmate motor performances and mental performances would be lower than those of the norm population; (b) inmate motor performance would not be typical of their dominant physique type; (c) inmates would improve motor performances after a short stay at the Institution; and (d) relationships would be-found between size, maturity, mental performance and motor performance. The subjects were 670, male inmates of the Haney Correctional Institution, British Columbia, ranging in age from l4 to 4O, but with the majority between 17 and23 years of age. Of this population of 670, only 280 were given the Motor Educability test, one of the motor performance items. Tests were given to inmates on their arrival and again after four months and the pertinent data recorded. The re-test population decreased in size from 670 to 255 and from 280 to 129 for the Motor Educability test. Transfers, discharges, medical and various other reasons not connected with physical education and out of the investigator's control caused these reductions. The reductions and some missing data further reduced the size of the population to 111 when the inter correlation matrix of all variables was calculated by the computer. A computer was used for the majority of the statistical; work to obtain means, standard deviations, inter correlation matrix of all variables and t statistic of differences between initial and re-test motor performance scores. Other calculations, such as the t statistic of differences between H.C.I. inmates' scores and those of the norm populations, and preparation of frequency distribution polygons, were done by the investigator. The results, in all but a few instances, supported statistically the hypotheses stated by the investigator. It was concluded, therefore, that Haney Correctional Institution inmates had lower motor performances than the various norm populations, had motor performances that were not typical for the dominant physique type of delinquents, had inferior mental performances, had heights and weights that were shorter and lighter than the norms and had typical relationships between mental performance, size, maturity and motor performance. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The identification of ecological risk factors for delinquency is a widely employed approach to a problem in which there is no single root cause. A number of theoretical and practical approaches typically provide insight into delinquency. The ecological approach in particular focuses on aspects within the urban environment that can be used to explain the disproportionate number of offenders emanating from particular locations. Remarkably, few ecological studies of delinquency have been forthcoming in South Africa which is an astonishing fact for a country plagued with high and rising levels of crime for much of its recent history. Most explanations for the high crime levels in the country centre either on the legacy of apartheid or the transition to democracy. In terms of the former, the apartheid system was premised on the segregation of South African society and the concomitant socio-spatial marginalisation of ‘non-white’ communities. In the context of state repression, marginalisation and a consequent insurrectionary struggle, levels of crime and violence spiralled out of control. The transition to democracy in turn resulted in a number of changes occurring in the country, most notably the rigorous transformation and restructuring of the criminal justice sector. Despite, or perhaps because of, these changes levels of recorded crime remain alarmingly high fourteen years into democracy with seemingly no end in sight and no local theory eminent to guide appropriate action. This thesis aims to contribute towards for a better ecological understanding of delinquency in South Africa based upon the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and quantitative techniques. The thesis presents a geo-analytic perspective of offenders residing within the city of Tshwane, and where possible, translates this knowledge towards an urban ecological theory of crime in South Africa. The findings of the study are used to provide practical insights into effective crime reduction policy initiatives. The study is based on an analysis of offender records obtained from the South African Department of Correctional Services (DCS) during the beginning of 2006. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / Unrestricted

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The study of a question such as that of Truancy must be undertaken on the basis of statistics. It is essentially a matter of investigating and gathering data upon individual cases. The preliminary search for material upon the subject revealed the fact that practically nothing had been written upon it and apparently little inquiry made into the problem. Accordingly, the writer obtained permission from Superintendent O.H. Close of the Preston School of Industry located at Ione, Amador County, California to conduct an investigation of this problem among the delinquent boys committed to that institution. This school is the state correctional institution for boys between the ages of 15 and 21 years. For comparative purposes, an investigation of the problem of truancy in a city school system -- that of Sacramento -- has been made. It is hoped, therefore, that the present study may make some worthwhile contribution to what is already known about the subject.

The purpose of this study was to explore differences in self-reported experiences of fifteen boys and girls who were released from correctional schools from June 24, 1965, to May 16, 1967, into the community of Ketchikan, Alaska, from a control group of nineteen who had not been in correctional institutions, who were matched by sex, age and race. Between the dates of July 16, 1967, to September 13, 1967, I interviewed and administered a questionnaire to each respondent in both groups. The respondents, ranging in age from 14 years to 20 years, were seen in the welfare office, the person's home or foster home, the jail, other institutions and other settings. The items that I chose for the questionnaire were those from the Seattle Atlantic Street Center’s Student Opinion Survey with regard to the following six classifications: 1. Report of delinquent behavior. 2. Attitude toward community norms. 3. Delinquent friends. 4. Perception of community reaction to deviance. 5. Integration in neighborhood. 6. Activities and companions in activities. The significance of the difference of the responses of the two groups was determined by the chi - square test of significance at the 5 per cent level of confidence. Because of the smallness of the two groups and because of the lack of random sampling in the selection of the second group, the findings could not be considered conclusions applicable to a larger population. However, generalizations as speculations to suggest further research and principles for action were made. There were both similarities and differences in the two groups. The releasees admitted more misbehavior and knew young people in similar circumstances. Both groups were objective about friends, drank liquor (with different meaning and consequences), thought they were expected to finish high school, expected punishment for misbehavior, and thought they had a chance of being caught for misbehavior by the police. The average or normal youngster had higher aspirations, expectations and attainment at school, work and play. The releasees participated more in unorganized activity and were more apt to be with the "gang" or "loners."

For many years, an adult Historical Background society has been involved in treating Juvenile delinquency problems. This fact is reflected in the Poor Laws of Elizabethan England, in the Indenture and Settlement Laws which date back to 1601, and the hit-or-miss idealism of private charities. In the United States, we find it in the transplanting of the Indenture and Settlement Laws and the Almshouse In the Early English Colonies on the main land of North America. Toward the close of the seventeenth century, the first almshouse was established in Boston and others follower until by the beginning of the nineteenth century there were almshouses in all of the larger cities in the United States, and in any instances, there were alms- houses established by counties and townships