Treating Different Delinquent Teens Differently: An Empirical Study on China’s Zhuanmen Schools
Published in Youth Justice (Under Review), 2024
Authors: Mingyang Chen, Yantong Guo, Dai Li, Boyang Xu
Research aim and background: The discourse surrounding the grading andcategorization (GC) system of China’s Zhuanmen Schools, which serve as correctional institutions, has been notably deficient in empirical evidence. Social Control Theory (SCT), a prominent theoretical framework in criminology, elucidates the interplay between levels of social control and correctional strategies. This study aims to apply SCT to systematically examine the rationality of existing proposals with teens’ data in China.
Research method: Utilizing a localized social control scale in Chinese, we conducted a questionnaire survey encompassing 111 student participants from three Zhuanmen Schools. In alignment with recent legislative reforms and academic recommendations, students were categorized into three distinct groups: those engaging in “general delinquent behavior” (GDB), those committing “serious delinquent behavior (without infringing criminal law)” (SDB), and those involved in “criminal acts” (CA). We used mediation analysis to assess the mechanisms of attachment, commitment and involvement which represent core elements of SCT, and applied one-way ANOVA coupled with LSD tests to determine the appropriateness of various GC plans within the Chinese context.
Findings: (1) Attachment has a significant negative effect on the severity of individual deviant behaviors, mediated through the constructs of commitment and involvement. Lower SCT level has an effect on more serious behavior. (2) Individuals categorized under GDB exhibit a markedly higher overall level of social control in comparison to their counterparts in the SDB and CA groups, with no statistically significant difference observed between the latter two. In light of these findings, this study advocates for differentiated intervention strategies for deviant juveniles, tailored according to the distinctions between general and serious misbehavior.