NCJ Number
148441
Journal
Criminology Volume: 32 Issue: 2 Dated: (May 1994) Pages: 247-276
Date Published
1994
Length
30 pages
Annotation
To test the hypothesis that the effect of deviant peers on serious delinquency is limited largely to adolescents with antisocial tendencies, or that youths with such tendencies are most likely to engage in delinquency through their involvement with a deviant peer group, this study used four waves of data collected on 177 adolescent boys living in small towns in the Midwest.
Abstract
For adolescents who had a later onset of delinquency, quality of parenting predicting affiliation with delinquent peers, which was correlated with criminal justice system involvement. Oppositional or defiant behavior was not related either with affiliation with delinquent peers or with criminal justice system involvement. For youths who displayed an early onset of delinquency, quality of parenting was associated with oppositional or defiant behavior. Oppositional behavior was correlated with affiliation with delinquent peers, which in turn predicted criminal justice system involvement. For this group of boys, criminal justice system involvement was highest for those who displayed oppositional behavior and who had deviant friends. 1 table, 3 figures, 2 notes, 45 references, and 1 appendix