Social Control, Delinquency, and Victimization among Kibbutz Adolescents

Abstract

An index based on Hirschi’s theory designed to measure social control in kibbutz society was applied to a random sample of 440 high school students in the kibbutzim of Northern Israel. The delinquency variable was measured by self-report on the frequency of two illegal behaviors condemned by adult kibbutz society but not excessively stigmatized by the youth: driving without a license and stealing from the kibbutz mini-market. Victimization was measured by self-report on incidents during the past year involving person or property. Seventy percent of the participants in the study reported having committed at least one offense. Approximately 80% reported at least one victimization. At the bivariate level, the social control index generated weak but statistically significant negative correlations with both delinquency and victimization.