The Company You Keep: The Influence of Popular Delinquents and Deviant Brokers on an Individual’s Offending Trajectories

• In Event: Causes and consequences of adolescent delinquency

Abstract

Research on how delinquent peer associations affect individuals' life courses is limited. This paper addresses this gap by examining delinquent peer network characteristics and their impact on offending trajectories. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), this study employs social network analysis (SNA) and group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM) to explore how the popularity and betweenness centrality of delinquent peers affect an individual's placement in offending trajectories. SNA helps minimize same-source bias and offers a detailed view of delinquent peer networks, while GBTM identifies developmental pathways. Four trajectories were identified: non-offending, adolescent-limited, low-offending-desister, and high-offending-desister. Delinquent friend popularity increases the likelihood of placement in adolescent-limited and high-offending-desister trajectories, while delinquent peer betweenness centrality is associated with increased placement in the low-offending-desister and high-offending-desister trajectories. These findings enhance theoretical understanding by showing how the unique positionality of delinquent peers influences offending behavior over time. The results suggest that public policy should focus on understanding adolescent friendships and providing appropriate restorative resources.

Author

• Daniel Trovato, Florida International University