Changes In Delinquency Research Articles

Short-term mindsets show co-development with adolescent delinquency, but not with adolescent cannabis use.

Guided by General Theory of Crime and Psychosocial Maturity Hypothesis, we investigated co-development between short-term mindsets (impulsivity and future orientation) and risk behaviors (cannabis use and delinquency). Parallel process latent growth modeling on three-wave data from ethnically diverse Swiss adolescents (N = 1365; Mage 13.67 years, 48.6% female), showed baseline-level associations between short-term mindsets and risk behaviors, and between the two risk behaviors. Additionally, correlated change (co-development) existed between short-term mindsets-particularly impulsivity-and delinquency, but not between short-term mindsets and cannabis use. These results support the above-mentioned theories and emphasize the importance of investigating the correlates of change in delinquency and cannabis use separately, as divergent findings might emerge. These divergent findings could partially stem from Switzerland's liberal views on cannabis use.

A prospective study of sexual risk patterns associated with delinquency and justice involvement among child welfare system-involved male adolescents in the United States.

Early sexual activity and teen pregnancy are known risk factors for delinquency and justice involvement among male adolescents. However, less is known about these patterns among child welfare system (CWS)-involved boys who face significant social barriers and past/current traumatic experiences. We prospectively examined these associations among male adolescents who identified as low and high risk for child-maltreatment via a secondary data analysis of the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect dataset-a large scale assessment of children, their parents, and their teachers in the United States to understand issues of child abuse and neglect. We extracted and examined data from 657 boys who were identified as at-risk for maltreatment or with histories of substantiated maltreatment at ages 6, 8, 12, 14, and 16. We used structural equation modeling to examine the relationship between sexual activity (i.e., age of sexual debut, actively having sex, and sex resulting in a child) and changes in delinquency and justice involvement. Male adolescents who have engaged in sex and/or have fathered a child had greater increases in delinquency over time compared to those who have not had sex. Further, fathering a child was significantly associated with justice involvement, especially for the high-risk group. Results indicate that greater efforts should be taken to ascertain CWS-involved male adolescents' sexual health practices and parenting status. Male adolescents in the CWS require support with accessing developmentally appropriate sexual health education and family services.

Cognitive-behavioral reciprocity: Testing the bidirectional relationship between antisocial cognition and delinquency.

Although reciprocity between variables is a topic of interest in the field of criminology, we cannot simply assume that all or even most criminological relationships are bidirectional without testing them empirically. The objective of the current investigation was to test whether delinquency and antisocial cognition are reciprocally or bidirectionally related. The hypotheses evaluated as part of the present study proposed that antisocial cognition would predict delinquency, delinquency would predict antisocial cognition, and bidirectional models would display significantly better fit than the unidirectional models on which they are based. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance study (1,354 serious justice-involved youths), I explored whether antisocial cognition predicts delinquency and a change in delinquency and whether delinquency predicts antisocial cognition and a change in antisocial cognition. I paired two forms of antisocial cognition-moral neutralization and cognitive impulsivity-with delinquency to predict a single future outcome with a zero-order correlation and a lagged outcome or change with a partial correlation. Findings showed that 40 out of 40 prospective zero-order correlations and 36 out of 40 prospective partial correlations achieved significance, with moderate and small effect sizes, respectively. Structural equation modeling revealed that the bidirectional models linking moral neutralization to delinquency and cognitive impulsivity to delinquency using lagged outcome measures both achieved significantly better fit than the unidimensional models on which they were based. The results of this study are congruent with the conclusion that the relationship between antisocial cognition and delinquency is reciprocal and that antisocial cognition is as much a predictor of delinquency as delinquency is a predictor of antisocial cognition. Thus, both patterns need to be taken into account for the purposes of theory integration in criminology, clinical practice in forensic psychology, and policy implementation in criminal justice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Task persistence as a competency capable of reducing delinquency in early to mid-adolescence

In an effort to understand the segment of the juvenile population that seemingly ceases engaging in delinquency during adolescence, the relationship between a performance competency (task persistence) and offending was explored in 3,928 youth (2,005 boys and 1,923 girls) from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. Three waves of data, with adjacent time periods separated by two years, were used to test the hypothesis that a change in task persistence would correlate with a change in future delinquency. Given that the two dependent variables in this study (delinquency at Time 2 and delinquency at Time 3) followed a negative binomial distribution, negative binomial regression and binomial logistic regression analyses were performed. Results from both analyses confirmed the hypothesis that a rise in task persistence from Time 1 to Time 2 would predict a decrease in delinquency from Time 1 to Time 2 to Time 3 and that a static measure of task persistence at Time 1 would predict a change in delinquency from Time 1 to Time 2. These results suggest that task persistence may be a competency capable of suppressing delinquency during a developmental period in which delinquency ordinarily rises.

News and noise in crime politics: The role of announcements and risk attitudes

We examine the process of intertemporal decision-making among potential offenders by analyzing their response to announcements of future changes in anticrime policies. We specify the utility function of potential criminals based on Epstein-Zin preferences to explicitly account for risk attitudes. In this setting, news shocks in anticrime policies can bring about immediate changes in delinquency, but heterogeneous risk attitudes among potential offenders may cause unintended outcomes in the short run. We further show that short-run effects may solidify in the event that the announced policy changes are not ultimately implemented (noise shocks). We demonstrate that rising uncertainty about policy changes may be beneficial in crime prevention, but only among risk-averse agents. Hence, this paper highlights potential pitfalls that result from neglecting the importance of risk attitudes in crime prevention – and potentially other policies.

중학생 비행 유형에 대한 초등학교 6학년 시점 예측요인 탐색

Objectives The purpose of this study is to classify middle school students accoring to the change of their delinquency measures and to find predictors of delinquency among variables in their 6th grade.
 Methods Using Gyeonggi Education Panel Study(GEPS) data for the elementary students panel from 3th year(6th grade in elementary school) to 6th year(3rd grade in middle school), latent growth mixture modeling was applied to classfy middle school students' pattern of delinquency changes, and multinomial logistic regression was conducted to find predictor variables.
 Results With latent growth mixture analyses, three latent classes were identified: ‘decreasing from high level’, ‘increasing from low level’, and ‘low-level’. The probability of class membership was significantly predicted by gender, physical self-concept, academic achievement, parental attachment, parental monitoring, and peer relationship.
 Conclusions It was suggested to develop a policy-based support system to affect variables in elementary school that predicts students' delinquency in middle school and that teachers in elementary schools can detect easily. Specifically, an early intervention for students with low academic achievement was suggested as an effective approach to prevent delinquency.

Does a change in moral neutralization from early to mid-adolescence predict a change in delinquency?

ABSTRACT A growth mixture modeling (GMM) analysis of neutralization scores in 1,830 youth across six waves of data revealed evidence of a three-class model in which moral neutralization either increased (low accelerating), decreased (high decelerating), or remained the same (moderate stable) over time. Controlling for age, sex, race, group assignment, and Wave 1 delinquency, an analysis of covariance revealed a significantly greater increase in Wave 6 delinquency in the moderate stable group than in the low accelerating group. When the average neutralization score was added as a control variable, the low accelerating group was highest, the moderate stable group next highest, and the high decelerating group lowest on Wave 6 delinquency. These results indicate that change in the pattern of neutralization scores (accelerating, stable, decelerating) may be as important as the level of moral neutralization at any particular point in time in determining the effect of neutralization on future delinquency.

A Reconceptualization of Social Bond Theory to Predict Change Sequences in Offending

We argue that reconceptualizing social bond theory (SBT) through incorporation of dual agency and change can identify unique causal change sequences, improve its ability to explain offending, and generate new questions about it. The reconceptualization recognizes that individuals and those with whom they interact play an ongoing role in contributing to the bond. It shows that changes in the bond can contribute to changes in delinquency through three sequences, each with a unique over-time pattern that depends on how bond agents respond to delinquency. We identify implications for SBT—highlighting that theoretical arguments about static effects do not necessarily equate to straightforward predictions about change effects—and, more broadly, efforts to advance theories of offending.

Quality over quantity? Using sibling comparisons to examine relations between sleep quality, sleep duration, and delinquency

RationaleA growing body of research suggests that adolescents with problematic sleep patterns are more likely to engage in externalizing and delinquent behaviors. Few studies, however, have examined the role of between- and within-family effects on this association to establish whether poor sleep is related to delinquency after controlling for familial confounding. ObjectiveThe current study examines the relationship between self-reported restless sleep, sleep duration, and delinquency from ages 16–19 in a population-based sample of U.S. youth. MethodsData from full siblings from the Children and Young Adult sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (1979) (CNLSY) are analyzed. Negative binomial regression models and sibling comparisons are estimated to assess between- and within-family effects of sleep on delinquency during ages 16–17. Sibling comparison cross-lagged models are then fitted to the data to examine whether sibling differences in sleep are related to sibling differences in changes in delinquency from ages 16–19. ResultsSiblings with higher levels of self-reported restless sleep were more likely to report higher levels of delinquency at ages 16–17, net of observable covariates and unobservable familial confounders. Sibling differences in restless sleep at ages 16–17 were also associated with increases in delinquency at ages 18–19 after controlling for familial confounding and temporal stability in both sleep and delinquent behavior. ConclusionsFindings suggest that perhaps sleep quality, rather than sleep duration, should be the primary target for intervention/prevention programming efforts for adolescent delinquency.

Is Delinquency Associated With Subsequent Victimization by Community Violence in Adolescents? A Test of the Risky Behavior Model in a Primarily African American Sample.

Victimization is common in adolescence and is associated with negative outcomes, including school failure, and poor emotional, behavioral, and physical health. A deeper understanding of the risk of victimization can inform prevention and intervention efforts. This study tests the risky behavior model in adolescents, examining prospective associations between mean levels of and changes in delinquency and risk for victimization over four annual data collections. Low-income adolescent (53.6% female; M age = 12.13 years, SD = 1.62 years; 91.9% African American) and maternal caregiver dyads (N = 358) residing in urban neighborhoods in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States that had moderate-to-high levels of violence and/or poverty completed separate annual home interviews for 4 years. Maternal caregivers reported on adolescents' delinquent behavior; adolescents reported on their victimization by community violence experiences. Using a latent difference score model, results supported the risky behavior model for the first 2 years, but not the final data collection period. That is, levels of and changes in delinquent behavior were associated with more victimization by community violence at the subsequent time point for the first 2 study years. In contrast, there was no evidence for the opposite, specifically that victimization by community violence predicted delinquency. Knowing that both levels of delinquency and increases in delinquency place youth at heightened risk for victimization by community violence provides impetus to intervene. Screening for increases in delinquency among youth may be one way to target youth at high risk for victimization by community violence for fast-tracked intervention.

사회유대 및 비행자아관념의 상호작용효과가 비행의 증감에 미치는 영향 : 범죄중단의 인지이론에 대한 논의를 중심으로

범죄중단의 인지이론들에 따르면, 사회유대의 증감이라는 외부적 요인 뿐 아니라, 자아관념이라는 내부적 요인 역시 범죄성의 변화에 영향을 미친다고 한다. 본 연구는 한국청소년패널조사 중2패널 1차수에서 6차수까지의 자료를 이용하여 사회유대 변수로 서의 부모애착, 교사애착, 친구애착의 변화와 비행자아관념의 변화가 비행의 변화에 미 치는 상호작용효과를 분석하였다. HLM 8.0 소프트웨어를 이용한 2수준 음이항회귀모 형 추정 결과, 특정년도 비행자아관념이 전체년도 평균 비행자아관념에 비해 크게 증가 할수록 부모애착과 교사애착의 변화가 비행의 변화에 미치는 부의 효과가 작아진다는 사실을 확인하였다. 하지만, 친구애착과 자아관념 간에는 유의미한 상호작용효과를 관 찰할 수 없었다. 범죄중단의 인지이론에 관한 향후 연구는 변수들 간의 보다 복잡한 이 론적 메커니즘을 실증적으로 확인할 수 있는 적절한 분석 수단을 강구하여야 할 것이다.

Differences in treatment trajectories between two profiles of adolescent systems involvement

Of adolescents utilizing behavioral health services, between 45% and 62% (Farmer et al., 2003; Merikangas et al., 2011) become involved in multiple systems (i.e., mental health, juvenile justice, child welfare, and education systems) to meet their behavioral health needs (e.g., Glisson & Green, 2006). Despite their involvement in treatment, these youths often still have unmet needs due to lack of integrated care across systems (e.g., Hawkins, 2009). Adolescent behavior problems may be conceptualized differently to account for the unique needs of youth involved in multiple systems. Using a sample of 433 youth in need of behavioral health treatment services, we: (1) identified distinct classes of systems involvement across four systems, (2) compared youth comprising these classes on demographics and DSM-IV diagnoses, and (3) examined changes in delinquency and substance use over time among the youth comprising the systems involvement class groupings. Using latent class analysis, we identified two distinct classes of adolescent systems involvement: one with heavy involvement in all systems and the other with high involvement in only the education and mental health systems. Latent growth curve analyses using most likely class membership as a predictor demonstrated that adolescents with heavy involvement in all systems showed significantly more decreases in delinquent activity than comparison youth, but less decreases in substance use over a one-year follow-up period. Our findings support that it is clinically useful to examine classes of multiple systems involvement. Treatment providers can use these findings identify whether or not their clients are heavily involved in all systems and tailor their approach accordingly. In addition, researchers can continue to parse out differences in treatment trajectories for multiple systems involved youth as well as the various factors impacting these differences.

Does truancy make the delinquent? A situational and longitudinal analysis of the truancy–delinquency relationship

Although truancy has frequently been linked to delinquency, we still lack a proper understanding of how this relationship comes about. This study uses Situational Action Theory (SAT) to develop a more comprehensive, mechanism-based explanation of the truancy–delinquency nexus. The core argument is that the relationship is conditional on adolescents’ propensity for delinquency and their exposure to criminogenic settings. To test this argument, I use two kinds of data collected as part of the Peterborough Adolescent Development Study (PADS+). Drawing on unique situational data provided by space–time budgets, I find only weak evidence that the relationship between truancy and delinquency exists at the situational level. Analyses of multiple yearly waves of this panel study provide support for SAT’s potential as a theoretical framework for the truancy–delinquency relationship by showing that the effect of truancy on changes in delinquency is conditional on changes in adolescents’ delinquency propensity and their exposure to criminogenic settings.

Race, Gender, and Perceptions of Peer Delinquency: A Within-Subject Analysis

ABSTRACT We generated a within-subject analysis that assessed whether changes in delinquency from the same youth were associated with changes in the degree to which the youth perceived the delinquency of their peers across three waves of data. We hypothesized that the effect of within-person changes in perceptions of peer delinquency on changes in delinquency across time should be greatest among young black males. The results revealed that a within-person change in the youths’ perceptions that their peers were engaging in greater delinquency increased offending across time. They also showed that young black males were more likely than young white males and young black and white females to increase their level of delinquency, within-person and across time, when they perceived an increase in their peers’ levels of delinquency. We conclude that scholars may generate deeper theoretical insights and policies that are more efficacious when they reveal the causes of crime that are universal and those that uniquely affect a specific group.

Decreasing delinquency through assessment reductions: Evidence from Detroit

ABSTRACT Detroit recently decreased assessments for 3 consecutive years, 2014–2016, with 2 possible types of reduction: a decrease in assessment without a decrease in property tax bill or a decrease in both. This article examines the effect of each type of reduction on property tax delinquency using parcel-level data from 2013 to 2016. Overall, results indicate that lowering a property owner’s assessment without a decrease in their tax bill reduced delinquency by 1.7%. Lowering both assessment and tax bill reduced delinquency by 2.7%. Additional analyses examine the levels of assessment reduction that triggered changes in delinquency, the relationship between assessment reductions and taxes owed, the persistence of reduced delinquency without corresponding tax decreases, and how the results vary by property owner type (i.e., homestead and residency status). Property owner type is of particular interest because it provides possible explanations for why delinquency declined without lower taxes. Not only is this evaluation important for Detroit, but understanding what methods are effective in reducing property tax delinquencies is beneficial to officials in other jurisdictions struggling to collect property taxes.

The strength of youth voice: exploring the influence of youth strength-perspectives on desired outcomes for youth enrolled in system-of-care services

Recent efforts to improve mental health services for young people have called for the inclusion of youth and families in service planning and delivery. When youth strengths are considered within the treatment context, many continue to prioritize adult perspectives of youth strengths. Questions remain about how and why strengths matter for youth from the perspective of youth. The present study explores the relative influence of youth and caregiver assessments of youth strengths across six strength domains to predict emotional and behavioral outcomes. Data were gathered from 49 youth (aged 10–18) and caregiver dyads upon enrollment in system-of-care services and 6 months later. Youth strength assessments predicted changes in delinquency, school attendance, activity involvement, over and above caregiver strength assessments, and 6 months after service enrollment. Results support the inclusion of youth voice in mental health service planning and delivery, and further highlight the value of understanding strengths in a domain specific way.

The Longitudinal Role of Self-Concept Clarity and Best Friend Delinquency in Adolescent Delinquent Behavior

Adolescence tends to be characterized by a temporary peak in delinquent behavior, and friends in particular play a key role in the initiation and the development of delinquency. However, adolescents differ in their susceptibility to friends’ influence on delinquency. Especially adolescents who are less certain about who they are might show more delinquent behavior, and might be more susceptible to their friends’ behaviors, as friends are also crucial for adolescents’ identity formation. In addition to examining the main effects of best friend’s delinquency and self-concept clarity on the development of adolescents’ delinquency, the current study scrutinized whether self-concept clarity moderated the longitudinal association between adolescents’ and their best friends’ self-reported delinquent behavior. The current study examined whether best friend delinquency and adolescent self-concept clarity were related to the development of adolescents’ delinquency, and whether self-concept clarity moderated the relation between adolescent and best friend delinquency. Dutch adolescents (N = 497, Mage Wave 1 = 13 years, 287 boys) and their best friends participated across six annual waves. Both adolescents and best friends reported on their delinquency and adolescents reported on their self-concept clarity. Adolescent delinquency linearly declined, and although adolescents’ and best friends' delinquency levels were related, changes in delinquency of adolescents and best friends were not. Adolescents low on self-concept clarity reported higher levels of delinquency. Self-concept clarity also moderated the relation between adolescent and best friend delinquency levels, with stronger relations observed for adolescents with lower self-concept clarity. Future research should examine the protective role of self-concept clarity not only against delinquent behavior, but also against susceptibility to peer influence.

Changes in delinquency according to socioeconomic status among Finnish adolescents from 2000 to 2015.

Background: Scientific literature suggests that the prevalence of delinquency amongst adolescents has decreased internationally in past decades. However, whether this change is consistent across all socioeconomic groups has not yet been studied.Objective: The aim of this study was to examine changes in delinquency amongst Finnish adolescents according to socioeconomic status between 2000 and 2015.Method: A population-based school survey was conducted biennially amongst 14-16-year-old Finns between 2000 and 2015 (n = 761,278). Distributions for delinquency and socioeconomic adversities (low parental education, not living with both parents and parental unemployment in the past year) were calculated using crosstabs. Associations between delinquency, time, and socioeconomic adversities were studied using binomial logistic regression results shown by odds ratios with 95 % confidence intervals.Results: Delinquency was positively associated with all three socioeconomic adversities studied and cumulative socioeconomic adversity. Although the prevalence of delinquency varied only slightly between 2000 and 2015 in the overall population, it increased significantly amongst adolescents with most socioeconomic adversities.Conclusions: The findings indicate that socioeconomic differences in delinquency have increased amongst Finnish adolescents in past decades. Delinquency prevention and intervention programs should take socioeconomic adversities into account.

Change in delinquency over time between adolescents with and without maltreatment experiences: Attachment and the school's role

Despite the fact that the link between child maltreatment and delinquency has been well-established, relatively few studies have examined contributing factors in the maltreatment-delinquency relationship and the risk of reoffending. Due to unresolved attachment issues with primary caregivers, children and adolescents with a history of maltreatment may seek an alternative figure for attachment in their peer groups, schools and community settings throughout their life. Using a nationally representative sample from the Korea Welfare Panel study (KWP) in South Korea and latent growth modeling, the current study compares delinquency trajectories and the protective role of school attachment on delinquency between adolescents with (n = 348) and without a history of maltreatment (n = 129) across three waves. Moreover, this study investigates whether the timing of maltreatment affects trajectories of delinquency as well as the protective role of school attachment on delinquency over time. Results revealed that adolescents with a maltreatment history are more likely to engage in delinquency at initial levels and growth processes over time, compared to their counterparts. Initial levels and change rates of school attachment are negatively predictive of initial levels and change rates of delinquency for adolescents with maltreatment, compared to those without such an experience. Timing of maltreatment experience affects growth trajectories of delinquency as well as the protective role of school attachment on delinquency. Implications for adolescents with a history of maltreatment are discussed.

Head Injuries and Changes in Delinquency from Adolescence to Emerging Adulthood

Objectives: The current study examines whether head injuries suffered earlier in the life course are associated with subsequent changes in self-control and delinquency. Methods: Latent growth curve models and path analysis are used to analyze the developmental trajectories of self-control and delinquency as well as the potential associations between head injury, self-control, and delinquency among a sample of youth offenders from the pathways to desistance study. Results: The results revealed significant associations between head injuries and short-term changes in self-control and subsequent increases in aggressive delinquency. Indirect pathway models revealed that lower levels of self-control significantly mediated the association between head injuries and starting levels in aggressive delinquency. The association between head injuries and changes in aggressive delinquency was also significantly mediated by self-control, but the association was negative, indicating that youth who previously suffered head injuries desisted from aggressive delinquency at a slightly faster rate than their noninjured peers. Additional analyses revealed that, despite accelerated rates of decline, injured youth engaged in significantly higher levels of aggressive delinquency throughout the entire observation period. Conclusion: Head injuries represent one environmental factor that may influence delinquent behaviors through their influence on biological and developmental processes.