Adolescents’ Perceptions of School Safety and Criminal Offending in the Life Course

• In Event: Individual and School Characteristics Associated with School Crime and Deviance

Abstract

Previous research has shown that experiences early in the life course can have significant implications for trajectories of criminal offending. Although a large body of criminological research has examined some of these early life experiences, there is limited understanding of the role that school experiences and perceptions play in criminal offending over the life course. In this study, using five waves of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health; n = 6,799), we examined the association between adolescents’ perception of school safety and criminal offending in short and long terms, and identified the factors that may explain this association. A series of logistic regression analyses revealed that concerns regarding school safety at Wave I were associated with a greater likelihood of criminal offending at Waves III, IV, and V. Additional mediation analyses showed that lower levels of school attachment, educational attainment, and self-control, and higher levels of depressive symptoms significantly mediated and explained a substantial proportion of this association. These findings illustrate the implications of concerns about school safety, which can lead to a lower level of academic achievement, adverse personality traits, and psychological distress, ultimately increasing the likelihood of engaging in criminal behavior.

Authors

• Vaun Baltimore, Middle Tennessee State University

• Ugur Orak, Middle Tennessee State University

• Chloe Davenport, Middle Tennessee State University