Crime and Delinquency Over the Life Course

Abstract

Most delinquent and criminal behavior follows a well-established age distribution, with criminal behavior peaking in mid- to late-adolescence and then quickly declining as individuals age. As a result, policies aimed at reducing criminal behavior should focus on the adolescence period, when most people develop both their extended friendship networks and attitudes toward criminal behavior. During adolescence, peers are among the most important influences in a person’s life. A robust literature in criminology has established that individuals in peer networks have similar levels of delinquency, but it has yet to be established whether this is a result of friends influencing each other (causation) or youth choosing friends who are similar to them (selection). The distinction between peer causation and selection is fundamentally important for policy makers because each concept suggests different kinds of intervention. Thus, in order to develop better policy interventions for adolescent delinquency, we must first understand the causal role of friends in delinquency. With a more robust foundation, policy makers can develop policies to interrupt delinquent peer networks if there is peer influence or focus on other sources of delinquency if there is only peer selection.