This study is based on the premise that preventing juvenile delinquency in advance is the best and the most effective way of preventing it from ever happening. The purpose of this study is first to develop a barometer to diagnose and measure the risk ...
This study is based on the premise that preventing juvenile delinquency in advance is the best and the most effective way of preventing it from ever happening. The purpose of this study is first to develop a barometer to diagnose and measure the risk factors and the entailed protective factors on a student. It is known that risk factors may increase the possibility of juvenile delinquency while protective factors may reduce it. In the mean time, the author will analyze the data to see where the student is located on the scale in terms of those two kinds of factors. A prescription of customized protective factors, which will guarantee optimum protection against juvenile delinquency, will follow the analysis. Ultimately this study aims to provide for social welfare institutions and juvenile organizations an essential foundation required for designing and developing systematic and hands-on programs to prevent juvenile delinquency.
The author made a survey of nine hundred and thirty one students, which consists of both middle school 2nd graders and high school 2nd graders (8th and 11th graders). The author first examines their risk factors and protective factors in relation to juvenile delinquency. Also, he looks into the degree to which and the way how the protective factors influence risk factors. As a result, he comes to the conclusion as follows.
First, primary protective factors of juvenile delinquency include self-esteem, sense of capability, sense of responsibility, family cohesion, family attachment, reasonable supporting attitude, and the support from friends and teachers. On the other hand most important risk factors include depression, anti-society sentiment, impulsive nature, aggressive nature, negative family economy, family trouble, delinquency bond, discrimination from teachers, and an environment of tolerating delinquency.
Second, in general, following types of students were found showing higher risk factors and lower protective factors: male students(compared to female students), high school students(compared to middle school students), students with single parent(compared to students with both parents), students with father in non-specialized job(compared to students with father in specialized profession), students with father possessing less than bachelor’s degree(compared to students with father possessing bachelor’s degree and more), students with mother possessing less than bachelor’s degree(compared to students with mother possessing bachelor’s degree and more), students with family renting a place to live(compared to students with family owning a house), and students without religion(compared to students with religion).
Third, there is an organic relationship between risk factors and protective factors. The more self-esteem, sense of capability and/or sense of responsibility the students have, the less depression, anti-society sentiment, and/or aggressive nature they tend to show. The more family cohesion, family attachment, and/or reasonable supporting attitude they have, the less depression, anti-society sentiment, and/or aggressive nature they are inclined to show. The more self-esteem, sense of capability, and/or sense of responsibility they have, the less negative family economy, and/or family trouble they are likely to show. Also, the more family cohesion, family attachment, and/or reasonable supporting attitude they have, the less negative family economy, and/or family trouble they show.
Fourth, the cause and effect relationships between protective factors and risk factors are described as follows. Self esteem has a negative effect on the depression and on the environment of tolerating delinquency the sense of capability has a negative effect on the depression and on negative family economy the sense of responsibility has a negative effect on the discrimination by teachers and on the anti-society sentiment; family attachment has a negative effect on depression and on family trouble family cohesion has a negative effect on the family trouble and on the negative family economy reasonable supporting attitude has a negative effect on the family trouble the support from friends has a negative effect on the discrimination by teachers the support from teachers has a negative effect on the discrimination by teachers. On the other hand, some elements have positive relationships. Depression has a positive effect on the anti-society sentiment, on impulsive nature, and on aggressive nature; family trouble has a positive effect on the gloominess negative family economy has a positive effect on the family trouble and on depression the environment of tolerating delinquency has a positive effect on the aggressive nature and on the delinquency bond and the delinquency bond has a positive effect on the anti-society sentiment; the discrimination by teachers has a positive effect on the delinquency bond.
Based on the study above, the author suggests ways of reinforcing protective factors to prevent juvenile delinquency. To reduce the anti-society sentiment, it would be effective to use a self-esteem enhancement program, mentoring program, parent education, family healing, teaching of parent roles, teacher’s personality development, volunteer program, and so on; to reduce the depression, it would be effective to use self-esteem enhancement program, mentoring program, parent education, family healing, and teaching of parent role; to reduce the impulsive and aggressive natures, it would be effective to use self-esteem enhancement program, mentoring program, parent education, family healing, teaching of parent role, and anger-control program; to reduce family trouble, it would be effective to use parent education, family healing, teaching of parent role, and the program for substituting family roles; to reduce the negative family economy, it would be effective to use parent education, family healing, teaching of parent role, and low-income family supporting program; to reduce the delinquency bond, it would be effective to use self-esteem enhancement program, and teacher’s personality development program; to reduce the discrimination of teachers, it would be effective to use teacher’s personality development program and the program of interference of School Social Worker and to reduce the environment of tolerating delinquency, it would be effective to use self-esteem enhancement program, parent education, quitting of smoking and drinking program, campaign or education program for the community.
In conclusion, preventing juvenile delinquency is seriously affected not only by an individual juvenile, but also by the environment around the juvenile. Therefore, we should consider changing and improving the environment for the juvenile in a governmental policy scale. We should always analyze their environment proactively and then should endeavor to exploit more effective protective factors, whether they are related to individual, family, school, friend, or the community. At the same time, we should try very hard to correctly intervene at all times in arising social welfare cases. This would be possible only by having inclusive and effective access to the community.