Illicit juvenile weapon possession: The role of serious sanctioning in future behavior

Abstract

Although existing literature has well-examined basic weapon carrying trends for juveniles, little is known about weapon carriers’ differential experiences with serious sanctions including suspension, expulsion, or juvenile adjudication. It is unknown what types of weapon carriers are more likely to be subject to these sanctions or the effect of these sanctions on future behavior. The present study addresses these gaps in the literature using data obtained from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health. Results indicate that seriously sanctioned weapon carriers are associated with a delinquent and risky lifestyle while other weapon carriers largely avoid these problem behaviors. Both groups, however, bring weapons to school equally often. Findings indicate that weapon carriers with gang membership are less likely to carry weapons to school or work in adulthood or own a handgun in adulthood if they avoid serious sanctioning. Policy implications of these findings are discussed.