U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

JUVENILE DELINQUENCY, VALUE STANDARDS, AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS - AN EXAMINATION OF A NON-CLASS-SPECIFIC PERSPECTIVE

NCJ Number
40769
Author(s)
S A CERNKOVICH
Date Published
1975
Length
231 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY SEEKS A GENERAL, NON-CLASS-SPECIFIC EXPLANATION OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY ACROSS SOCIOECONOMIC STRATA.
Abstract
THE STUDY ATTEMPTS TO PROVIDE AN EMPIRICALLY VALIDATED ALTERNATIVE TO THE CLASS-BASED THEORIES THAT CHARACTERIZE THE SOCIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF JUVENILE DELINQUENCY. SPECIFICALLY, THE CONCEPT OF VALUE STANDARDS, AS CULTURAL RULES GUIDING THE SELECTION AMONG ALTERNATIVE COURSES OF ACTION, IS PROPOSED AS THE KEY VARIABLE IN ACCOUNTING FOR DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR IN A VARIETY OF SOCIOECONOMIC STRATA. THE MAJOR HYPOTHESIS EXPLORES THE EMPIRICAL RELATIONSHIPS AMONG SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, CULTURE VALUE STANDARDS, AND DELINQUENCY INVOLVEMENT. A SELF ADMINISTERED QUESTIONNAIRE DISTRIBUTED TO MALE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS GENERATED THE DATA FOR TESTING THE PROPOSED CAUSAL MODEL. THE RELEVANT LITERATURE IS CRITICALLY REVIEWED. THE SAMPLE, SAMPLING PROCEDURE, AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TARGET POPULATION ARE DISCUSSED. THE DOMINANT TECHNIQUES OF DATA ANALYSIS ARE PRESENTED AND THE DISSERTATION CONCLUDES WITH AN ANALYSIS OF THE RESEARCH DATA AND A SUMMARY. A SAMPLE SURVEY IS INCLUDED....MSP