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COMPARISON OF DELINQUENCY TRENDS - JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES

NCJ Number
69139
Journal
Criminology Volume: 18 Issue: 1 Dated: (MAY 1980) Pages: 53-61
Author(s)
R G MARTIN; R D CONGER
Date Published
1980
Length
9 pages
Annotation
COMPARATIVE DATA ARE PRESENTED ASSESSING TRENDS IN JUVENILE CRIME RATES FOR JAPAN AND THE U.S. WHICH SHOW THAT THE RATE IN THE U.S. HAS INCREASED SUBSTANTIALLY WHILE REMAINING ESSENTIALLY STABLE IN JAPAN.
Abstract
BETWEEN 1962 AND 1971 CRIME RATES IN WESTERN CITIES SUCH AS CHICAGO, LONDON, AND WEST BERLIN SHOWED INCREASES OF FROM 30 TO 300 PERCENT. IN CONTRAST, TOKYO'S CRIME RATES PER 100,000 POPULATION DECLINED BY 13 PERCENT AND OSAKA'S BY 37 PERCENT. MOEREOVER, THESE REDUCTIONS OCCURRED IN THE MIDST OF DRAMATIC INDUSTRIAL GROWTH AND URBANIZATION, EVENTS USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASING CRIME AND DELINQUENCY. IN THIS STUDY, THE AGE-ADJUSTED TRENDS FOR JUVENILE COURT CASES AND OF JUVENILE ARRESTS IN JAPAN AND THE U.S. CONFIRM EARLIER RESEARCH WHICH SUGGESTED THAT JAPAN HAS BEEN RELATIVELY MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN THE U.S. IN CONTAINING THE CRIME PROBLEM. THE FIGURES INDICATE THAT DELINQUENCY IN JAPAN HAS STABILIZED WHILE THE U.S. HAS SEEN A REMARKABLE INCREASE OVER THE PAST DECADE. THERE IS NO EVIDENCE, HOWEVER, THAT THE RATE OF JUVENILE CRIME HAS DECLINED IN JAPAN, AS HAS BEEN THE CASE FOR OVERALL RATES OF CRIMINALITY IN THAT COUNTRY. WHILE IN THE U.S. THE DIMENSIONS OF THE DELINQUENCY PROBLEM ARE EXPANDING AT A GREATER RATE THAN THE INCREASE IN THE TEEN-AGE POPULATION IN THE U.S., THE DATA SHOWS THAT THE JAPANESE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTAIN DELINQUENCY RATES, POSSIBLY BECAUSE OF A DECREASE IN THE TOTAL NUMBER OF POTENTIAL JUVENILE OFFENDERS. CULTURAL VARIABLES, SUCH AS THE PERVASIVE NETWORK OF INFORMAL SOCIAL CONTROLS IN JAPAN MAY ACCOUNT FOR MUCH OF THE ABILITY OF THE JAPANESE TO CONTROL CRIME. HOWEVER, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE DATA, THE STUDY SUGGESTS THAT FUTURE RESEARCH EXAMINE THE CHANGING NATURE OF ECONOMIC CONDITIONS IN BOTH COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS THE IMPACT OF BROAD SOCIAL UNREST IN THE U.S. OVER THE PAST DECADE. FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES ARE APPENDED.

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