Classification of Juvenile Offenders and Ecological Factors

The study was concerned with the relationship of social ecology to types of juvenile delinquency. In comparison with ecology designated (in an earlier study) as ‘Low socio-educational status’, the delinquent from an area with an ecology designated as ‘Individual-social-economic alienation’ was found to be more likely: to offend alone and not be motivated by gain, to abscond from legal custody, to have a history of neuropsychiatric conditions, to come from a broken home and a small family, not to reside with his parents, to leave school before reaching form three, and to be given two or more probations before committal to an institution. The delinquent from 'Low socio-educational status' area was more likely: to offend in company and be motivated by gain, not to abscond, not to have a history of neuropsychiatric conditions, to come from an intact home and a large family, to reside with his parents, to reach at least form three before leaving school, and to have no more than one period on probation before being committed to an institution. The differences appeared to be consistent with the often used criminological distinction between individual and social delinquency.