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Ecology of juvenile delinquency in metropolitan sydney
Author(s) -
Kraus J.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(197510)3:4<384::aid-jcop2290030409>3.0.co;2-g
Subject(s) - juvenile delinquency , metropolitan area , juvenile , ecology , geography , criminology , psychology , biology , archaeology
The study was concerned with ecology of juvenile delinquency in metropolitan Sydney. Principal components analysis of ecological correlations of 25 demographic variables, sampled in 39 local government areas, showed two major factors; these accounted for 39% and 23% of the total variance, and for 51% and 32% of the variance of juvenile delinquency, respectively. Factor I was designated individual‐social‐economic alienation (broken marriages, psychiatric illness, alcoholism, drug abuse, infant mortality, immigrant minorities, unemployment, females in the work force, low house and car ownership, living in apartments). Factor II was designated low socio‐educational status (low education, crowding in dwellings, high birth rate, high proportion of children, mental retardation, perinatal mortality, females not working, living in houses, unemployment); areas identified with this factor were remote from the city proper and had many Housing Commission developments. The factorial identity of the 39 local government areas was established by factor scores to determine the type of social action best suited to each area. The clustering of factor scores on a scattergram indicated the natural ecological areas of the metropolis. It was postulated that in areas scoring high on Factor I social psychiatry could provide a suitable form of approach not only to the problem of delinquency but also to some of the other problems of individual and social pathology. For areas scoring high on Factor II, where delinquency seems to be a product of culture rather than expression of social pathology, it was postulated that the approach should be based on social controls, youth leadership, education, and the provision of suitable outlets for the frustrations of juveniles. Also other problems of the two types of area were discussed, and suitable forms of social action and services were suggested.