The Disproportionate Overrepresentation of Minority Youth in ...

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By reading through the interviews with the decision makers, the results of the
self—reports were supported. It is apparent that they hold some definite beliefs about the
reasons youth get involved in delinquency. According to most of the decision makers,
there are many risk factors that could potentially lead to involvement in delinquency.
Among the most important are: economic conditions (especially living in poverty),
living in high-crime areas, inner-city neighborhoods, poor parental supervision, and
living in a single-parent family (Table 4,5).
A majority of juvenile court personnel said living with mother only is an
important cause of delinquency (57 percent responded somewhat to very important),
demonstrating the importance that is placed on family background at juvenile court.
Economics was also an important risk factor for delinquency (71 percent thought few job
opportunities and 86 percent thought economic structure were important causes of
delinquency).
Overall, it is clear that most of the personnel believe that if the youth they deal
with were given the proper upbringing, including economic, psychological, emotional,
and physical support, they would probably law abiding citizens. The overall impression
given by the personnel is that almost all of the juvenile delinquents’ problems begin at
home. If the root of their problems is fixed, they will likely be rehabilitated, but usually
the system tries to help the symptoms of the problem, so the real problem is never solved.
In Scott County, the decision makers seem to work hard to find out what the child’s real
problems are so they can help him or her as much as possible.