Snyder S
Adolescent Psychiatric Program, Charter Winds Hospital, Athens, Georgia 30606, USA.
Adolescence. 1995 Spring;30(117):53-64.
Movies chronicling the phenomenology of juvenile delinquency have been produced since the 1930s. These films have become part of American culture and are at once a representation of and possible etiologic factor in causing delinquency. This paper reviews aspects of the epidemiology and criminology of delinquency and how they have been reflected in American films. Movies of historical and sociopsychological significance are examined in more detail, and the following questions are addressed: As the ethnicity of the United States changes, to what extent are American films dealing with juvenile delinquency reflecting this evolution? How are such films symbolizing the theme of "law and order," pervasive in U.S. approaches to crime for a quarter century? When these movies come close to mimicking certain aspects of the environment of the viewer, an interactive or "resonating" effect may occur such that the youth who view such films may be more likely to commit delinquent acts. A countervailing utility of these movies may be their prosocial potential in educating and rehabilitating youth.
自20世纪30年代以来，一直有记录青少年犯罪现象的电影问世。这些电影已成为美国文化的一部分，并且既是青少年犯罪的一种表现形式，也是导致犯罪的一个可能病因。本文回顾了青少年犯罪的流行病学和犯罪学方面的内容，以及它们在美国电影中的反映方式。具有历史和社会心理意义的电影将得到更详细的审视，并探讨以下问题：随着美国种族构成的变化，美国电影在处理青少年犯罪问题上在多大程度上反映了这种演变？这类电影如何象征着在美国长达四分之一世纪的犯罪应对方式中普遍存在的“法律与秩序”主题？当这些电影接近模仿观众所处环境的某些方面时，可能会产生一种互动或“共鸣”效应，以至于观看此类电影的年轻人可能更有可能实施犯罪行为。这些电影的一个抵消性作用可能在于它们在教育和改造青少年方面的亲社会潜力。
