Behavior standards for public situations of children in reformatory institutions

Abstract

Behavioral standards are an important determinant of delinquent behavior. The present study investigated the associations between behavioral standards and juvenile delinquency of children in reformatory institutions. A total of 1 248 children in reformatory institutions completed the Standard for Public Space Scale (SPS). The resulting alpha coefficients suggested that the SPS had high internal reliability. Factor analysis revealed five factors: (a) Public Values, (b) Egocentric, (c) Regional-standards, (d) Peerstandards, and (e) Care about Others. Cluster analysis revealed that juvenile delinquency experiences fell into two clusters of "likelihood of committing a crime" and "committing a crime". In addition, ANOVAs suggested that juvenile delinquents in reformatory institutions had higher scores on factors of Egocentric and Peer-standards on the behavioral standards, compared to juvenile non-delinquents. The value of using the Standard for Public Space Scale for the study of juvenile delinquency was discussed.