What Is The Hidden Figure of Delinquency In Girls? Discrepancies Between Official Records and Self-reports.

• In Event: Female Delinquency: Homicide, Delinquency Transmission, Hidden Crime and Justice Interventions

Abstract

Research on young males has shown that there are large discrepancies between official records and self-reports of delinquency. Comparable information about the discrepancy between official and self-reported delinquency in girls is still wanting. Female compared to male delinquency is often characterized by property or drug-related delinquency rather than violence, and there is reason to suggest that the dark number of female delinquency could be as high as in males.
This paper investigates possible discrepancies between self-reports and official records for different types of offenses in a large sample of young females between ages 12 and 18, and examine age-related differences in detection rates. We used data from the Pittsburgh Girls Study (N=2450) who have been followed up yearly with very low attrition. Official records from the juvenile court pertain to arrest prior to age 18 which are compared with yearly assessments of self-reported delinquency between the ages of 12 and 17. Results show that the prevalence of female delinquency is low, but that there are detectable discrepancies in official and self-reports of delinquency. Results are discussed in terms of gender differences, implications for the administration of justice and the validity of research findings using official records only.

Authors

• Lia Ahonen, University of Pittsburgh

• Rolf Loeber, University of Pittsburgh

• Alison Hipwell, University of Pittsburgh

• Stephanie D. Stepp, University of Pittsburgh