Joy-riding among British youth.
The behavioural and legal aspects of the problematic and repetitive criminal behaviour of aggravated vehicle taking or "joyriding" are reviewed as context for a study in Great Britain of data from 20 males imprisoned for joy-riding and/or vehicle theft for gain, 10 habitual joyriders who were members of a youth club established to counter the problem, 10 imprisoned house-breakers, and 10 males with no criminal convictions. No specific ethnographic, motivational, or personality differences between joy-riders and those involved in other crimes of theft were found, although there was evidence for the notion of joyriding developing into car theft for pure financial gain.
Scott
D
D
Department of Psychology, Strathclyde University, Glasgow.
Paxton
K
K
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010551:Personality; D011329:Prisoners / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D012925:Social Conformity; D013800:Theft / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000523:psychology*; D006113:United Kingdom