Times… Are They A Changin’? Examining Changes in the Transition to Adulthood and Age-Crime Curves: 1930s-Today

• In Event: 4448 - New Directions and Innovation in the Study of Crime and Justice

Abstract

Contemporary research suggests that life course development is shifting; some argue for the emergence of a new developmental phase occurring between adolescence and adulthood (emerging adulthood) and others contend that the period of adolescence has been extended beyond 18 years of age. Irrespective of reason, if macro-social trends in development are occurring this could have important implications for offending. First, changes in life course development such as the attainment of conventional social roles, like marriage and employment, are fundamental to desistance theories. Second, the majority of desistance from offending occurs, on average, during the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Consequently, a core question emerges: if life course development is changing, to what extent have these shifts altered patterns of offending across adolescence and adulthood? With this research, we explore whether changes in the timing of life course transitions map onto differences in the aggregate age-crime curve from the 1930s to today. Given that delayed adulthood and the lengthening of adolescence trends are felt at the societal level, we map average age of key life course transitions (e.g., marriage) and aggregate age-arrest curves for a period of time spanning several decades (1930s to 2010s). Findings will inform the discussion of the extent to which historical cohort shifts in the engagement and timing of adult social roles have altered patterns of offending (peak age, duration, magnitude, and desistance) across the transition to adulthood.

Authors

• Bianca E. Bersani, University of Maryland

• Elaine Eggleston Doherty, University of Missouri-St. Louis