Self-Reported Delinquency in a Small City in West Germany: Delinquents, Victims, and Offender/Victims

Abstract

Conducted in a small city in Baden-Wurttemberg, self-reports of persons 14–25 years of age were used to answer several general questions for a small-city setting. As the first of two related papers, the following pages will describe the research methodology and will present findings for three general questions: How do officially reported delinquencies differ quantitatively from self-reported delinquencies? What were the magnitude and characteristics of victimization? Of those youth who reported they had been offenders, how many were also victims? In a future issue of this journal, the second paper will deal with four other questions: How are self-reported delinquencies distributed according to age and social class statuses? How did a typology of schools relate to the definition of delinquency and the management of delinquents? How did police, youth agency, and schools interact in a social control network? What was the relative importance of companionate offenses?