A Time of Transition or Role Affirmation? Gang Members and Offending in Emerging Adulthood

• In Event: Key Findings from the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study: Offending in Emerging Adulthood

Abstract

The transition from adolescence into adulthood is a difficult path for many youth to navigate. Participation in deviant behaviors has been found to negatively impact the adolescence-adulthood transition. Gangs, in particular, are one of the most influential deviant peer groups, and membership has been connected with an increase in offending, including serious violent offences. However, less is known about the longer-term effects of gang membership on offending through the adolescence-adulthood transition among adjudicated youth. Data from the Incarcerated Serious and Violent Young Offender Study were used to examine whether adolescent gang membership status influenced offending into adulthood. Gang membership in this study went beyond simplistic measures of whether youth were part of an antisocial peer group to capture more distinct and dangerous peer groups. This measure was used to predict the number of violent convictions, non-violent convictions, and administrative violations between the ages of 18-25. Gang membership may disrupt opportunities in emerging adulthood and instead characterize this period as a time of instability. Understanding the long-term consequences of gang membership has obvious implications for treatment and intervention strategies used by practitioners.

Authors

• Krysta Dawson, Simon Fraser University

• Martin Bouchard, Simon Fraser University

• Evan McCuish, Simon Fraser University

• Raymond Corrado, Simon Fraser University