A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF JUVENILE OFFENDER RECORDS INDICATED THAT NOT ONLY THE CENTER OF THE CITY BUT ALSO PERIPHERAL AREAS SHOWED HIGH DELINQUENCY RATES. LIKE AN EARLIER STUDY OF COLOGNE, THIS KIEL STUDY REFUTED FOR WEST GERMANY THE AMERICAN HYPOTHESIS THAT DELINQUENCY DECREASES AS THE DISTANCE FROM THE INNER CITY SLUMS INCREASES. THE KIEL STUDY (INVOLVING INTERVIEWS WITH HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS AND POLICEMEN) REVEALED SOCIAL INTEGRATION AND ECONOMIC STATUS AS IMPORTANT, BUT UNRELATED FACTORS. JUVENILE DELINQUENCY WAS PREDOMINANTLY AFFECTED BY THE INTEGRATION FACTOR; HOWEVER, AS THE JUVENILES GREW UP, THIS FACTOR WAS SUPERCEDED BY ECONOMIC STATUS. TWO TYPES OF DELINQUENCY AREAS WERE FOUND: (1) A CULTURALLY INTEGRATED AREA WITH LOW ECONOMIC STATUS AND (2) AREAS OF WEAK SOCIAL INTEGRATION WHERE A DELINQUENT JUVENILE SUBCULTURE WAS SEPARATED FROM LAW-ABIDING PARENTS. THE LATTER INCLUDED THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT WITH ITS HIGH FLUCTUATION IN RESIDENTIAL POPULATION AND THE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN THE CITY'S PERIPHERY. IN THE AREA OF LOW ECONOMIC STATUS, WHERE FAMILIES WERE CLOSELY KNIT, THE PARENTS THEMSELVES HAD ADOPTED DEVIANT NORMS AND HAD PASSED THEM ON TO THE CHILDREN. DESPITE MANY OFFENSES (PARTICULARLY PROPERTY OFFENSES), THE POLICE RARELY BECAME INVOLVED SINCE THE POPULATION DID NOT REPORT CRIMES. IN THE WEAKLY INTEGRATED AREAS, CHILDREN OF LAW-ABIDING BUT REMOTE PARENTS DEVELOPED THEIR OWN DEVIANCY PROBLEMS. ALIENATED FROM THEIR STERILE ENVIRONMENT, THESE JUVENILES TENDED TO SPECIALIZE IN MEANINGLESS VANDALISTIC OFFENSES. THE ARTICLE CONTAINS A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND A MATRIX CHARTING THE CORRELATION BETWEEN CULTURAL FACTORS AND DELINQUENCY. --IN GERMAN. (SAJ)