Juvenile Delinquency, Criminal Sentiments, and Self-Sentiments: Exploring a Modified Labeling Theory Proposition
ISBN: 978-1-78743-193-5, eISBN: 978-1-78743-192-8
Publication date: 12 August 2017
Abstract
Purpose
We test the proposition that criminal sentiments, which we define as a negative and potent view of a juvenile delinquent (JD), moderate the effect of a delinquency adjudication on self-sentiments. We expect criminal sentiments to reduce self-evaluation and increase self-potency among juvenile delinquents but have no effect on self-sentiments among non-delinquents. We also examine the construct validity of our measure of criminal sentiments by assessing its relationship to beliefs that most people devalue, discriminate against, and fear JDs.
Methodology
We test these hypotheses with self-administered survey data from two samples of college students and one sample of youths in an aftercare program for delinquent youths. We use endogenous treatment-regression models to identify and reduce the effects of endogeneity between delinquency status and self-sentiments.
Findings
Our construct validity assessment shows, as expected, that criminal sentiments are positively related to beliefs that most people devalue, discriminate against, and fear JDs. Our focal analyses support our self-evaluation predictions but not our self-potency predictions.
Practical implications
Our findings suggest that the negative effect of a delinquency label on JDs’ self-esteem depends on the youths’ view of the delinquency label.
Originality/value
This study is the first to test a modified labeling theory proposition on juvenile delinquents.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgments
We thank Rob Clark, Amy Miller, Martin Piotrowski, and Cyrus Schleifer for very helpful suggestions. This research was supported, in part, by Grant No. 2001-SI-FX-0006 awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Funding was administered by the Youth Violence Prevention Program at the University of South Alabama. Funding also came from the Office of Faculty Affairs, the College of Social Sciences, and the Research Foundation at San José State University.
Citation
Kroska, A., Lee, J.D. and Carr, N.T. (2017), "Juvenile Delinquency, Criminal Sentiments, and Self-Sentiments: Exploring a Modified Labeling Theory Proposition", Advances in Group Processes (Advances in Group Processes, Vol. 34), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 21-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0882-614520170000034002
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2017 Emerald Publishing Limited