ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the relationship between dependency (child maltreatment and status offending) and delinquency will be examined from a social ecology perspective. Initially, dependency would appear to be exclusively a family problem. Children are maltreated within their immediate environment as victims of violence (i.e., physical abuse), exploitation (i.e., sexual abuse), or neglect (i.e., lack of parental supervision). Children become status offenders as a consequence of other parent-child relationship problems (e.g., ungovernability and truancy). Dependent children tend to come from dysfunctional families, and dysfunctional families tend to bring about maltreated and incorrigible children who are at risk for delinquent behaviors. The connection appears logical enough to attract the interest of juvenile justice policymakers and practitioners. However, what has eluded policymakers and practitioners is the dynamic of this relationship. To provide a context for better understanding how dependency and delinquency are interrelated, basic concepts and the scope of status offending and maltreatment are reviewed.
