Juvenile Justice: prevention of stigmatization? Long term effects of the intervention of the juvenile court by the data of the “Montreal Longitudinal-Experimentale Study”

Abstract

The labelling theory has been the subject of intense debate, which has often been influenced more by ideological parameters than empirical ones. The studies that have attempted to evaluate this theory have yielded contrasting results. The present study uses data from the Montreal Longitudinal Experimental Study to investigate whether intervention by the juvenile justice system is determined, at least in part, by particular individual, familial and social conditions that make youths especially vulnerable to judicial reaction, and whether contact with the juvenile courts during adolescence increases involvement in adult crime. The study considers self-reported crime in childhood and adolescence, and introduces as control variables individual, family and social factors into its analysis.The results show that youths who are poor, impulsive, and have deviant friends are more likely, for the same degree of antisocial behavior, to undergo intervention by the Juvenile Court, and that this intervention greatly increases the likelihood of involvement with the penal system in adulthood, controlling for individual and socioeconomic variables.The results show that the various measures recommended by the Juvenile Court exert a different criminogenic effect; those that involve placement have the most negative impact.