Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF PENAL LAW AND CRIMINOLOGY-CEZA HUKUKU VE KRIMINOLOJI DERGISI, cilt.13, sa.2, ss.523-543, 2025 (ESCI, TRDizin)
Mainstream criminological literature has focused on the lack of self-control as a strong predictor of criminal behavior, examining the relationship between self-control and criminal behavior. However, the mediating role of changes in family structure from a social perspective in relationality, and how this is reflected in the Turkish example, has not yet been tested. This article explores the relationship between self-control, a nomological determinant of juvenile delinquency, and family structure at a socio-spatial level. Several theoretical assumptions were considered when justifying this article based on control theory, given the family institution. These assumptions include considering family and social institutions as tools for socialization, the social and emotional support qualities of the family, and the internal and external impacts on human nature. Furthermore, the interaction between social adaptation and social dynamics, as a dialectic of deviation, is emphasized. For this aim, a series of predictor variables were used to measure categorical variations in family structure, juvenile delinquency, and self-control, taking theoretical assumptions into account. Their social reality was then explored through institutional data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye. Thus, a quantitative research method based on the analysis of secondary data was adopted to examine the role of the family structure as a mediating variable. Ordinal logistic regression analysis, based on a stratified level according to the number of events occurring per unit of time, revealed the expected relationship between juvenile delinquency and self-control components at the individual trait level. However, when the family structure variable was considered, the relationship between self-control and juvenile delinquency was generally associated, except in areas of low family density. This suggests that juvenile delinquency was not solely related to self-control in socio-spatial areas with low family density. The findings of this article emphasize the importance of strengthening the social structure in which the family institution operates to prevent juvenile delinquency. They also highlight the importance of understanding the social and emotional support systems within families and the developmental processes of childhood, given the significance of family structure for criminal justice policies. Furthermore, they draw attention to the significant role of the family structure variable in shaping socio-spatial reality in relation to juvenile delinquency and self-control.