Contributions of Friendship and Intimate Relations in Desistance Processes Among Male Adolescents in Germany

• In Event: The Role of Peers in Crime and Deviance over the Life Course

Abstract

The question of the factors contributing to desistance from delinquency is an essential topic in criminological sociology. Even though the impact of intimate relations and friendship is not completely neglected, the meaning of both aspects in adolescence has been scarcely examined. This paper addresses the development of the impact of both aspects in this period of transition between youth and adulthood, based on two waves of longitudinal data from Germany. Eighteen qualitative, retrospective interviews with young male adolescents are analyzed, as outtakes from a larger study. The data illustrates different patterns of desisting from delinquency that are supported by and related to girlfriends and friends in several ways. The findings appear to add to the current state of the art in desistance research.

Author

• Steffen Zdun, Bielefeld University