Relationship between attitudes towards minors of delinquent behaviour and students 'personal experiences

Adolescencija se definira kao razdoblje u kojem vrlo često dolazi do sukoba s društvenim normama. Upravo se za vrijeme adolescencije mlade osobe često nalaze u sukobu vlastitih mišljenja i ponašanje s jedne, te društvenih očekivanja i pravila s druge strane. Maloljetnička delinkvencija je ozbiljan oblik problema u ponašanju kod mladih koje se u užem smislu odnosi na kršenje zakonskih normi. Stavovi javnosti prema maloljetnicima delinkventnog ponašanja su često konfuzni. Naime, neki smatraju kako je javnost usmjerena na zaštitu društva, dok se drugima čini kako je naglasak na zaštiti počinitelja. Cilj ovoga istraživanja bio je ispitati stavove studenata o maloljetnicima delinkventnog ponašanja. Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 495 studenata Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Provedenim istraživanjem pokazano je kako studenti koji su u većoj mjeri upoznati s pojmom maloljetničke delinkvencije imaju pozitivnije stavove prema maloljetnim delinkventima, kao i osobe koje su same imale iskustvo s nekim od oblika delinkventnog ponašanja.Adolescence is defined as a period in which conflicts with social norms occur very often. It is during adolescence that young people often find themselves in a conflict of their own opinions and behavior on the one hand, and social expectations and rules on the other. Juvenile delinquency is a serious form of behavioral problem in young people that in a narrower sense refers to the violation of legal norms. Public attitudes toward juvenile delinquent behavior are often confusing. Namely, some believe that the public is focused on the protection of society, while others think that the emphasis is on the protection of perpetrators. The aim of this study was to examine students' attitudes about juvenile delinquent behavior. The research was conducted on a sample of 495 students at the University of Zagreb. The research showed that students who are more familiar with the concept of juvenile delinquency have more positive attitudes towards juvenile delinquents, as well as people who have had experience with some form of delinquent behavior