The authors note that it is generally understood that high rates of unemployment lead to high rates of crime. However, according to a life course perspective, variables that impact criminality have different effects on different age groups. As such, the authors question whether adolescent involvement in the labor market actually has deleterious consequences for adolescent criminal behavior. The authors examined data from the 1988, 1990, and 1992 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) and from a sample of adolescents drawn from eight high schools in Tennessee. Findings show that most of today’s adolescents will enter the job market as juveniles, with 9 out of 10 youths employed at some point during their high school years. In fact, by the time they reach their senior year of high school, many youths have spent more time at their jobs than in classrooms. The effects of employment on delinquency are mixed, with employment both protecting against delinquency and causing delinquency. The authors note that the more youths become embedded in work, the more they become involved in delinquency. However, this effect is most pronounced for younger youths, with the effect reversing for older youths. Future research should focus on how work experiences affect criminal behavior across the life course. Tables, notes, references