Parents, Peers, Partners, and Prison: Delinquent Adolescent Networks and Criminal Justice Contact in Early Adulthood

• In Event: Peer Contexts: Mediators and Moderators

Abstract

Most treatments of network influences on crime and criminal justice exposure have focused on delinquent peers, or assessed the relative influence of parents and peers. Along the transition to adulthood, the focus generally shifts to romantic partners. The current study contributes beyond prior work in assessing the full range of affiliations. In this study, we examine the effect of delinquent enmeshment – defined as the extent to which individuals’ social network affiliations, including parents, peers, and romantic partners, are involved in delinquent and criminal activity – on the odds of criminal justice contact in early adulthood. Using panel data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (n = 1021) as well as official court records, we analyze this relationship while controlling for the characteristics of respondents’ complete networks as well as other factors traditionally linked to odds of incarceration. Our analyses further compare the influence of each network affiliation on odds of criminal justice contact. Finally, we assess whether the effect of delinquent network associates on odds of criminal justice contact differs by gender. Our findings offer the opportunity to better understand the relationship between delinquent enmeshment and its impact on criminal justice contact later in the life-course.

Authors

• Brian Joseph Timm, Bowling Green State University

• William M. Clemens, Bowling Green State University

• Monica Longmore, Bowling Green State University

• Peggy Giordano, Bowling Green State University

• Wendy Manning, Bowling Green State University

• John H. Boman, Bowling Green State University