Testing Theoretical Notions About Co-offending Among Adolescents: Correlates of Co-offending, Group Size and Instigation

• In Event: Theoretical Perspectives of Co-Offending

Abstract

Many offenses, in adolescence the majority of them, are committed in the company of other offenders. Therefore, understanding the causes of co-offending and its dynamics is crucial. A few theories about why and how people co-offend have been formulated in the past. However, despite a recent increase in research on co-offending, there are still only a few studies available in which theoretical notions about offending are tested empirically.
In this presentation, I will use data from the NSCR Schoolproject to explore the correlates of various co-offending measures among a sample of lower educated adolescents in the Netherlands. Respondents were not only asked to self-report delinquent acts, but also to indicate to which extent they committed these offenses in company, with how many co-offenders and whether they instigated the offense or not. Additionally, the data include several measures about personal characteristics, criminal experience and the peer context, which can be used as indicators of theorized determinants of co-offending and instigation.

Author

• Frank Weerman, NSCR