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The Adolescent Nondelinquent Cohort: Does It Matter How they Are Defined?

Wed, Nov 13, 12:30 to 1:50pm, Salon 14 - Lower B2 Level

Abstract

In their 1990 work A General Theory of Crime, Michael Gottfredson and Travis Hirschi argued that delinquency among adolescents is so prevalent that the crucial issue is not "Why do they do it?" but rather "Why don't they do it?" This basic question encourages inquiry into nondelinquents, but there have been surprisingly few investigations of youths who refrain (or desist) from delinquency. Indeed, there is no consensus about how to identify this population. Getting a handle on how to differentiate nondelinquent adolescents is a crucial step toward applying existing criminological theories to explain their relative lack of criminal and antisocial behavior. In this study we identify a few different ways that prior research has defined a nondelinquent (or desistance) population. We then rely on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health to investigate whether our understanding of the size and demographic characteristics of nondelinquents hinges on how they are defined. We conclude with a discussion of possible implications for future research.

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