Criminological characteristics of children with court-ordered institutional and protective care

The article summarises the most important findings of a survey conducted by a team of researches from the Institute of Criminology and Social Preventi on. The survey was focused on finding some characteristics common to a samp le of 464 children up to 15 years of age, who have been court-ordered a per iod of one year in remand centre correction as a result of their behavioura l disorders. Questionnaires concerning these children ('clients') were completed by chil d welfare officers, who had suggested this measure, and by experts working at remand centres. The survey focused on collecting the following character istics: the anamnesis of the client's family, the psychological and social characteristics of a particular client, his relationship to the school and his problems with school attendance, the occurrence of socially-deviant beh aviour and its progression. It was found that the clients came from socially weak families which were o ften disintegrated, and in which inappropriate methods were used to raise t he clients. The clients suffered from an intellect deficit, they tended tow ard higher readiness for aggression. They also had problems at school which they solved by massive truancy. The clients committed in particular proper ty offences, and they experimented with addictive substances at a higher ra te than other children their age did.