The Influence of Peers, Family and Neighborhoods on West Indian Young Men’s Involvement in Crime and Delinquency

• In Event: Immigrants and Crime

Abstract

This study seeks to ascertain the influence of social context on West Indian men’s involvement in crime and delinquency. Interviews of 30 West Indian young men reveal that social context – family, friends, and neighborhood context – influenced whether or not they were involved in crime and delinquency. Analysis of the aforementioned factors reveal that family, especially parents, were the most important factor regarding involvement in crime and delinquency, followed by friends and neighborhood context. The most common form of crime and delinquency reported by study participants is smoking marijuana and drinking, with a few respondents stating that they engaged in more serious delinquency such as selling marijuana and cocaine, petty larceny, and assault via knife and gunpoint.

Author

• O. Nicholas Robertson, Rochester Institute of Technology