The Family Context of Childhood Delinquency

Patchin reviews the empirical and theoretical research on family relationships and delinquent behavior and examines the efficacy of intervention targeting serious and violent young offenders between the ages of 10 and 13. Because parents are an important influence in adolescent development at this age, Patchin argues that interventions targeting young populations must incorporate family-based programming that seeks to improve the familial environment. To this end, he maintains that youth involved in an intervention at this developmental stage must be kept in their families if possible. His analysis investigates the way in which family bonds and structures and family-focused intervention and community-based programming are associated with delinquency desistance among childhood offenders.