Citation

Doob CB. Sociol. Q. 1970; 11(4): 523-532.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1970, Midwest Sociological Society, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

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Abstract

Many studies of juvenile delinquency suggest that the poor boy's propensity to join and differentially participate in a gang are influenced by his family background and/or his peer group structure. These findings, moreover, might be extended. Researchers should be able to chart in detail the process by which not only juvenile delinquents but also all children in a ghetto area are differentially prepared for adult life. In the course of nine months of participant-observation study in East Harlem, New York, I examined in detail the life styles of ten Puerto Rican boys ranging in age from ten to eighteen. Less extensively I observed forty-eight others in the same age range. I lived in the area in which the investigation was conducted, took part in a wide range of activities with my subjects, and thus obtained a detailed knowledge of their behavior. Several hypotheses have emerged from this pilot study, which could be tested subsequently within a survey design.

KEYWORDS: Juvenile justice; juvenile delinquency