1. Objectifs

Intentions :
Cette étude propose de vérifier s’il existe des liens empiriques entre la criminalité à l’adolescence et de potentiels épisodes antérieurs de maltraitance pendant l’enfance.

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’échantillon est constitué de 5 399 dossiers d’adolescents québécois, âgés entre 12 et 18 ans, reconnus coupables selon les dispositions de la loi sur le système de justice pénale pour les adolescents entre 2003 et 2012. Ces dossiers proviennent de 16 Centres jeunesse du Québec.

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse statistique

3. Résumé

«The results clearly support the literature as to the existing links between maltreatment and delinquency. Moreover, results obtained from the analyses highlight two additional aspects. First, it is clear that some youths perform criminal acts that are associated with the nature of the maltreatment to which they have been exposed during childhood. […] Lending support to both the social learning theory […] and the social strain theory […], it can be argued that violence endured as a child or as an adolescent is imitated and reproduced against others or that violence suffered repetitively induces prolonged stress which is conducive to self-destructive and aggressive behaviours. […] Also, «the severity of the abuse and a lack of parental support (which can be particularly acute in cases of foster care placement where parents are considered unfit to care for their children) are significantly important risk factors for further delinquency and incarceration […]. Regardless of the theory used – social learning, social strain or social control theory – they all converge to the cyclic nature of violence, which states that various forms of exposure to abuse, neglect, trauma and violence during childhood create significant developmental problems and significantly increase the likelihood of maladaptive, delinquent and violent behaviours later in life […].» (p. 91)