Employment and Varying Desistance: How Social Mobility Pathways Moderate the Association between Employment and Crime

• In Event: A Fresh Look at the Role of Turning Points on Desistence

Abstract

Prior research on criminal desistance has revealed the importance of employment for reducing criminal behavior (Siennick and Osgood 2008; Jacob 2011). Factors such as the timing of employment throughout the life course as well as the level of job satisfaction affect one's involvement in crime (Uggen 1999; Uggen 2000). However, prior research has focused more on the general effects of employment on crime and less on the ways these effects may vary across individuals or socioeconomic subgroups. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), this study analyzes the role of employment from a life course perspective by considering an individual's social mobility pathway from childhood to adulthood and its implications on the effectiveness of employment for desistance. We hypothesize that employment will be more effective in reducing crime among individuals for whom the employment represents upward mobility. Employment is undoubtedly an important factor in criminological research, and this study will improve our understanding of the conditions under which employment, and individual perceptions of their employment, promote desistance.

Authors

• Chris R. Dennison, Bowling Green State University

• Raymond R. Swisher, Bowling Green State University