Abstract
This article seeks understanding peer association and the causes of delinquent behaviors, the relationships of peer behaviors and the delinquency itself. The data from National Youth Survey are used to estimate cross-legged panel model that corrects the measurement error in indicators of delinquent peers and delinquent behavior. An emphasis of this research paper falls on Wilson’s arguments about reducing juvenile delinquency through deterrence philosophy, and Matsueda and Anderson’s theory of delinquency on peer influence that impact delinquency. Authors of these theories made attempts to explain not only the peer influence and their delinquent acts, but also how the delinquent peers cause delinquency. Results show that, the origin of delinquency is still unknown, due to the fact that peers may influence delinquency, but it is not clear where this learning process began. Peer influence and delinquency may be interrelated. Further studies are needed to understand the learning process of delinquency.
Highlights
OF THE STUDYOne of the most fundamental issues in criminal justice is juvenile delinquency
This article takes into consideration various theories, such as a theory of social disorganization and cultural transmission which argue that delinquency rates in inner-city neighborhoods remain high over time, and because of the disorganized communities have weak institutional controls that lead to unsupervised adolescent g ro u p s
The results of substantive model and cross lagged panel model suggest that delinquent peers and delinquency are reciprocally related in a dynamic process, which is consistent with interactional theory, which explicitly specifies reciprocal effects ( Matsueda & Anderson, 1998). It seems that the findings do not support the learning theories because the results suggest that delinquent peer associations and delinquent behavior are reciprocally related
Summary
One of the most fundamental issues in criminal justice is juvenile delinquency. Many researchers struggle to understand what and how the phenomenon occurs. There are two main groups of researchers about juvenile delinquency. One of them is peer influence, and the other one is delinquent behaviors rooted in family and social environment. A General Theory of Crime, by Gottfredson and Hirschi as founder of this theory, Meldrum et al (2013) in a study with 5,400 families who were identified based on births at hospital in 10 cities, using data analysis of juvenile self-report surveys, found that selfcontrol was a significant, negative predictor of susceptibility. Meldrum et al (2013), in this study, found that adolescents with higher levels of self-control are less likely to be susceptible to peer influence. It is important to understand main factors that influence delinquency; such factors may vary from individual level to group level, to include social factors
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