Dialogues with U.S. Scholars (Part I): Patterns of Delinquency among Migrant Children and Adolescents in Contemporary China

The forum features several dialogues between UM students/scholars and delegates of the Association of Chinese Criminology and Criminal Justice in the United States (ACCCJ) on issues related to juvenile delinquency and crime in contemporary China. PhD students from the Department of Sociology at UM will make several presentations based on papers developed from their research projects conducted in China. Scholars from ACCCJ will serve as discussants providing critiques of the projects and offering suggestions to improve the research and writing. Papers presented in the forum include:

• The Influence of Acculturation and Perceived Discrimination on Delinquency among Rural-urban Migrant Children in China.
• Social Network Structure, Deviant Peers, and Delinquency among Rural-urban Migrant Children in Contemporary China.
• The Relationship of Perceived Harsh Parenting and Aggressive Behavior among Chinese Adolescents.

While the forum focuses on the topics of the presentations, it may also cover other issues that are important to the understanding of the causes, distribution, and consequences of delinquency and crime among adolescents in contemporary China.

ACCCJ delegation participating in the forum consists of the following six members: Prof. Ivan Sun, University of Delaware, President of ACCCJ; Prof Xiaojin Chen, Tulane University; Prof. Xin Jiang, Slippery Rock University; Prof. Jessica Li, City University of Hong Kong; Prof. Jiabo Liu, Mississippi Valley State University; and Prof. Angela Zhuo, St. John’s University.