J. W. Reicher: 'The' chronic delinquent
Delinquency is not exclusively the result of social and legal 'labelling'- processes. Criminal statistics point at diverse directions. 48% of all violators are not sentenced. Various crimes are persecuted with different intens and penalized. First-offenders have the best chances in these respects. The first sentence acts often as a breaking point in life. 67% of the first-sentenced ommit crimes again.. Once sentenced the odds of another conviction are 1 in 3.
Loneliness and social isolation correlate high with recidivism. Isolation is already there before the first sentence. Criminal careers start early: 39% of the convicted are adolescents. The state of latent delinquency has its basis in psychotraumatic and psychotoxic situations in early youth: separations, inconsistenties in family life, mental disturbances of attachment- figures etc. Adaptational phenomena to circumstances which disturb development start a process of scape-goating, which adds up to other influences that tend to isolate the victim of early-infantile afleetive deprivation.