Delinquency Labeling

The early identification and labeling of delinquent behavior has captured the interest of many who are concerned with preventing and controlling juvenile delinquency. A number of intervention activities have been designed and implemented on the basis of the assumed validity of predictive instruments and techniques. The position taken in this paper is that no accurate assessment of the impact of intervention activities can be made without awareness of the differences between potentially delin quent, predelinquent, and delinquent children—specifically, the underlying assumptions of these labels and the processes and related consequences of their use. The conclusion is reached that the "potential delinquent" label is virtually useless for practical application and that corrective intervention based on the assign ment of that label is totally unjustified. Consideration is also given to the relative utility of formal institutional systems, as opposed to informal systems, for the delivery of corrective intervention services to predelinquent and delinquent youth.