Mechanisms of Extralocal Neighborhood Influence on Adolescent Offending

• In Event: Innovations in Delinquency Research: Parental Incarceration, Peer Networks, and Neighborhood Context

Abstract

Drawing on routine activities theory, research on parenting practices in urban settings, and relative deprivation theory, this study examines the mechanisms through which levels of socioeconomic disadvantage in local and extralocal neighborhoods contribute to adolescent offending. We employ a spatial modeling strategy that allows us to assess the unique and separable effects of local and extralocal neighborhood disadvantage on the offending behavior of 794 Dutch adolescents participating in the Study of Peers, Activities, and Neighborhoods (SPAN). We find that the strongest neighborhood effects occur when youth reside in disadvantaged neighborhoods surrounded by relatively high levels of affluence, rather than concentrated disadvantage. Much of this effect can be attributed to greater temptations to offend, reduced parental monitoring, and greater opportunities to engage in unstructured activities with peers afforded to youths who live in close proximity to neighborhoods more affluent than their own. This study highlights the importance of criminogenic opportunities and parental monitoring for understanding the countervailing influences of local and extralocal neighborhood disadvantage on adolescent offending. To this end, we encourage researchers to consider broader community factors, in addition to residential neighborhood features, when examining neighborhood effects on adolescent behavior.

Authors

• Matt Vogel, University of Missouri - St. Louis

• Evelien Hoeben, University at Albany, SUNY

• Wim Bernasco, NSCR