Original scientific paper
DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR ATTRIBUTIONS OF LOW-RISK AND HIGH-RISK JUVENILE DELINQUENTS
Neven Ricijaš
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, edukacijsko-rehabilitacijski fakultet, Odsjek za poremećaje u ponašanju
Abstract
Contemporary approach in juvenile delinquency aims to identify risk factors that contributed to delinquent behavior and to focus interventions towards those risks.
The aim of this paper is to explore how juvenile delinquents attribute their delinquent behavior and to explore differences in the structure of attribution regarding their risk level. High-risk delinquents are considered those who are place in an institutional treatment, who often do criminal acts, who are early-starters and whose delinquent behavior lasts longer.
Research included 335 male juvenile delinquents in the Republic of Croatia within three types of sanctions: (1) probation, (2) open institution facility, (3) closed institution facility. 43,9% of juveniles were on probation (not in the institutional treatment) and 56,1% of them were placed in the institutional treatment. Age range of participants was from 14 to 21 years of age (M=17,1; SD=1,858).
Delinquent Behavior Attribution Scale for juvenile delinquents (Ricijaš, 2009) was used to identify the structure of attributions, and juveniles also answered some questions about their criminal behavior, contacts with police and court as well as some family circumstances questions.
Results consistently show that high-risk juvenile delinquents attribute their delinquent behavior to a greater number of factors, which is in accordance with other criminological research that measured causes of delinquent behavior with other methods.
Keywords
juveniles; delinquent behavior; attributions; risk factors
Hrčak ID:
40730
URI
Publication date:
28.9.2009.
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