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17 Am. Inst. Crim. L. & Criminology 531 (1926-1927)
Factors Contributing to Juvenile Delinquency

handle is hein.journals/jclc17 and id is 485 raw text is: FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO JUVENILE DELINQUENCY1 K. M. BANHAm BRIDGES2 It has long been a problem why some children steal and not others, why some play truant, or why some set fires and damage property. Theories have been advanced from time to time to explain these things, but only in the last ten or fifteen years have extensive scientific in- vestigation been carried out on these problems. Officers of the juvenile courts, child welfare associations, educational bodies, and mental hy- giene clinics have been instrumental in bringing together a vast amount of data concerning juvenile delinquency, from which certain general conclusions may be drawn. Delinquency itself is socially inadequate adjustment on the part of the individual to difficult situations. The factors which go to make up these difficult situations, together with the mental and physical condi- tions which influence an individual's capacity to adjust, constitute the causes of delinquency. Each juvenile offense is the outcome of a complexity of causes, some of whose origins date back years before the committal of the offense and others whose origins are more obviously and immediately connected with the act of delinquency. It has been shown that a differ- ent set of causes is involved in each individual case. It is impossible therefore to state the group of causes which will invariably result in any particular offense. The factors which operate to turn a child's behavior in one direc- tion rather than another may be very obscure, many as yet are beyond the detection of expert sociologists, psychologists, physiologists and others. It often appears that quite different offenses are the results of the same group of causes, but further investigation shows that still 'This outline grew out of a study of the literature on juvenile delinquency and some experience with actual cases in the Montreal Child Gi'dance Clinic and at the Boys' Farm and Training School, Shawbridge. My indebtedness for valuable information gained from the authors referred to in the bibliography, and from many others not mentioned, is obvious. Also I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. J. W. Bridges for assistance in drawing up the outline, in review- ing the literature, in selecting the bibliography, and for helpful suggestions and criticisms. I am, moreover, indebted to Miss J. V. McClenaghan for further assistance in reviewing the literature and to Miss V. L. Davidson for help in preparing the manuscript. 2Assistant Psychologist, Canadian National Committee for Mental Hygiene, McGill University, Montreal.

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