The Interaction of Family Variables and Gang Variables in the Aetiology of Delinquency

Testing Control Theory and Differential Association: A Causal Modeling Approach

“…Perhaps the most tenuous assumption pertains to the causal ordering of the variables.6 Consistent with the theory of learned from all sources, Short (1957Short ( , 1958Short ( , 1960, Voss (1964), Stanfield (1966), and Krohn (1974) find support for the theory, while Reiss Figure 1. Causal Models of Delinquency differential association, it is assumed that the measure of definitions favorable and unfavorable to delinquency is causally prior to delinquent behavior and causally subsequent to other variables in the model.…”

The Family and Juvenile Delinquency

“…Other relevant findings regard parents of delinquent children: they tend to manifest a variety of forms of pathological behavior, tend to be incompetent in their social and instrumental behavior (Glueck andGlueck, 1950, 1968;Sutherland and Cressey, 1960: 172;Deykin, 1972;Wilson, 1975;Gordon, 1979;Burt, 1944;Riege, 1972), and tend to punish their children physically (Glueck andGlueck, 1950, 1968;Gordon, 1979;Burt, 1944). It is also reported regularly that delinquents, both official and unofficial, lack close parental supervision, and their parents have very little control over or knowledge of the behavior of their children (Nye, 1958;Glueck andGlueck, 1950, 1968;Cortts and Gatti, 1972;Stanfield, 1966;Hirschi, 1969;Norland et al, 1979). A fifth and related point is that studies on unofficial delinquents (Linden and Hackler, 1973;Hirschi, 1969) show that they lack close social ties to "normal" friends, and official and unofficial delinquents have been found to have close ties to other delinquents (Hirschi, 1975;Empey andLubeck, 1971a, 1971b;Stanfield, 1966;Linden and Hackler, 1973;Glueck andGlueck, 1950, 1968;Norland et al, 1979).…”

“…It is also reported regularly that delinquents, both official and unofficial, lack close parental supervision, and their parents have very little control over or knowledge of the behavior of their children (Nye, 1958;Glueck andGlueck, 1950, 1968;Cortts and Gatti, 1972;Stanfield, 1966;Hirschi, 1969;Norland et al, 1979). A fifth and related point is that studies on unofficial delinquents (Linden and Hackler, 1973;Hirschi, 1969) show that they lack close social ties to "normal" friends, and official and unofficial delinquents have been found to have close ties to other delinquents (Hirschi, 1975;Empey andLubeck, 1971a, 1971b;Stanfield, 1966;Linden and Hackler, 1973;Glueck andGlueck, 1950, 1968;Norland et al, 1979). And, finally, a finding that emerges very strongly and consistently is that both unofficial and official delinquents have very poor relationships with their parents (Healy and Brenner, 1936;Glueck andGlueck, 1950, 1968;Nye, 1958;Gold, 1963;Hirschi, 1969;Jensen, 1972;Gordon, 1979;Empey andLubeck, 1971a, 1971b;CortCs and Gatti, 1972;Linden and Hackler, 1973;Norland et al, 1979).…”

Explaining Systematic Bias in Self-Reported Measures: Factors that Affect the Under- and Over-Reporting of Self-Reported Arrests

“…This led to the questioning of the operation of the juvenile justice system and the influence of extra-legal factors in enforcement decisions. Later studies that incorporated questions on theoretically derived factors such as family relationships and functioning, school commitment and success, and peer associations (Dentler & Monroe, 1961;Elliott, 1966;Erickson & Empey, 1963;Gold, 1970;Hirschi, 1969;Kelly, 1974;Mathews, 1968;Polk, 1969;Reiss & Rhodes, 1964;Stanfield, 1966;Voss, 1964) led to a shift of emphasis away from macro-level theories such as social disorganization and strain theories to more social process theories like social control and differential association. Since those early studies, self-report techniques have become more methodologically sound in terms of sample selection, inclusion of a wider range of behaviors, the expansion of response categories to account for the upper limit on the frequency of participation, the mode of administration of the survey, and the application of the self-report methodology in longitudinal studies (see Krohn, Thornberry, Bell, Lizotte, & Phillips, 2011;Thornberry & Krohn, 2000).…”