Everyday World of Juveniles and Juvenile Delinquency

2002 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 13834004
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Institution: Kanagawa University
• Principal Investigator: OHBA Eri Kanagawa University, Dept. of Business Administration, Associate Professor, 経営学部, 助教授 (60221834)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): MATSUMIYA Mitsuru Kansai University of welfare Sciences, Faculty of Social Walfare, Associate Professor, 社会福祉学部, 助教授 (80330364) ; NODA Yoko Shukutoku University, Dept. of Sociology, Professor, 社会学部, 教授 (30175525) ; DOI Takayoshi Tsukuba University, Dept. of Social Science, Associate Professor, 社会科学系, 助教授 (60217601) ; MIYAZONO Hisae Tokyo Gakuen University, Dept. Of Humanities, Lecturererr, 人文学部, 講師 (40348446)
• Project Period (FY): 2001 – 2002
• Keywords: juvenile delinquency / crime / newspaper articles / discourse / Juvenile Law / social reality / social constructionism

Research Abstract

First, this study aims at constructing data base of newspaper reports about juvenile delinquency since 1960 and second, this study explores perspectives of adults on juvenile delinquency by examining the newspapers articles as discourse.
Data for the research was derived by the press clippings of major newspapers collected by the library of Osaka Juvenile Guidance Institute, because articles in 1960's and 1970's are not yet all digitalized in Japan. The themes of articles collected for the research were about homicide, burglary, child abuse and debate on the revision of Juvenile Law.
Newspaper articles are considered as "reality" constructed by the media and as discourse which represents people's view on juvenile delinquency at the time reported.
In 1960's description of delinquent cases was more emotional and was more deeply rooted in the idea of "evil-causes-evil" fallacy and vicious circle than it is now. Although the recent articles about juvenile delinquency emphasize the heinousness of juveniles' behavior and increase in the number of delinquency cases at early ages, those discourse was repeatedly found in 1960's and 1970's. Juvenile delinquency in the newspapers both in 1960's and in recent years as well is described in terms of social control. A single delinquent case, combined with other cases, tends to be interpreted as heinous and as a symbol of young-age delinquency.