Apples to Oranges: Examining the Generational Disparity in Offending with a Disaggregated Comparison Group

• In Event: Immigrant Communities, Generational Status, and Heterogeneity on Crime.

Abstract

The generational disparity in immigrant offending reflects the robust empirical pattern where first-generation immigrants are particularly unlikely to engage in crime, whereas the likelihood of offending increases across successive generations. Prior research compares predictors of offending and incidence of offending across the first, second, and third-plus generations, often aggregating individuals across demographics into each group. But the native-born third-plus generation hosts diversity across individuals whose race/ethnicity likely differentially shapes their life experiences. The present research attends to whether the factors driving the generational gap in offending differ when disaggregating the third-plus generation into racial-ethnic subgroups (White, Black, and Hispanic). Using the NLSY97 and decomposition analyses, we find differences in the factors that drive the generational disparity in offending when comparing the first generation to third-plus generation racial subgroups, underscoring the importance of analyses acknowledging that generational groups are heterogeneous. Our results contribute to theoretical clarity and inform efforts to reduce youthful offending.

Authors

• Gabrielle Cabrera Wy, Drury University

• Bianca Bersani, University of Maryland