Assessing the Effects of Traditional Turning Points on LGBTQ+ Populations

• In Event: Sexuality, Victimization, and Offending

Abstract

Much criminological research regarding LGBTQ+ individuals emphasizes the increased likelihood of victimization. However, there is a lack of research discussing the prevalence of sexual minorities involved in criminal behavior as offenders. This study will contribute to this gap in the literature by utilizing the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health dataset to examine the criminal career of individuals across the life course. Building on the age-graded theory of informal social control, this research will explore the impact of traditional turning points on the desistance of criminal behavior for sexual minority populations compared to sexual majority populations. The results will have theoretical implications by testing the age-graded theory of informal social control on understudied and marginalized populations to support a more inclusive understanding of criminal behavior. Further policy implications will also be discussed.

Author

• Briana Ponce, Texas A&M International University