Theoretical Developments in Peer Influence on Crime

• In Event: Rutgers at 50: Theoretical Contributions to Criminology

Abstract

This review focuses on extant and emerging theories in understanding the socially driven nature of crime. In doing so, it identifies novel explanations of peer influence on crime, the role of peer networks in shaping delinquency, and how individual characteristics interact with peer influence to drive criminal behavior. The discussion will assess how the group can shape and affect decisions about offending, both incentivizing and disincentivizing individual actions. These theoretical developments will be considered relative to multiple studies, samples, and data sets.

Author

• Jean M. McGloin, University of Maryland