Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sex Similarities/Differences in Trajectories of Delinquency among urban Chicago Youth: The Role of Delinquent Peers

  • Published:
American Journal of Criminal Justice Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A growing body of literature has recently emerged examining sex-specific pathways of offending. Yet, despite significant gains, this area of research is still rather underexplored. With a particular focus on the role of delinquent peers, this current study investigates the sex similarities/differences in offending trajectories among a large sample of urban Chicago male and female youth (n = 3,038) from 6th through 8th grade (e.g., ages 12–14). The results suggest that the pathways of offending appear to be more similar than different across sex, and that associating with delinquent peers is significantly related to baseline delinquency. Furthermore, delinquent peers significantly distinguished the moderate and high-rate trajectory groups from the non-delinquents for both males and females, yet once estimated in a more fully specified model, the role of delinquent peers appeared to be indirect (operating through its effect on baseline delinquency). Study limitations and implications for theory and policy are also discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Akers, R. L. (1985). Deviant behavior: A social learning approach (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Akers, R. L. (1998). Social learning and social structure: A general theory of crime and deviance. Northeastern University Press: Boston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Akers, R. L., & Jennings, W. G. (2009). The social learning theory of crime and deviance. In M. Krohn, A. Lizotte & G. Hall (Eds.), Handbook on Criminology and Deviance. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Akers, R. L., & Sellers, C. S. (2009). Criminological theories: Introduction, evaluation, and application. Fifth edition. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (2003). The psychology of criminal conduct. Third edition. Cincinnati: Anderson Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belknap, J. (2007). The invisible woman: Gender, crime, and justice (3rd ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belknap, J., & Holsinger, K. (2006). The gendered nature of risk factors for delinquency. Feminist Criminology, 1, 48–71.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Botvin, G., Baker, E., Dusenbury, L., Botvin, E., & Diaz, T. (1995). Long-term follow-up results of a randomized drug-abuse prevention trial in a white middle class population. Journal of the American Medical Association, 273, 1106–1112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Braithwaite, J. (1989). Crime, shame, and reintegration. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Broidy, L., & Agnew, R. (1997). Gender and crime: A general strain theory perspective. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 34, 275–306.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Broidy, L. M., et al. (2003). Developmental trajectories of childhood disruptive behaviors and adolescent delinquency: a six-site, cross-national study. Developmental Psychology, 39, 222–245.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Catalano, R.F., Berglund, M.L., Ryan, J.A.M., Lonczak, H.S., & Hawkins, J.D. (1998). Positive youth development in the United States: Research findings on evaluations of positive youth development programs. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

  • Cernkovich, S. A., Lanctôt, N., & Giordano, P. C. (2008). Predicting adolescent and adult antisocial behavior among adjudicated delinquent females. Crime and Delinquency, 54, 3–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cullen, F. T., Wright, J. P., Gendreau, P., & Andrews, D. A. (2003). “What correctional treatment can tell us about criminological theory: Implications for social learning theory.”. In R. L. Akers & G. F. Jensen (Eds.), Social learning theory and the explanation of crime: A guide for the new century. Advances in criminological theory, vol. 11 (pp. 339–362). New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K., & Chesney-Lind, M. (1988). Feminism and criminology. Justice Quarterly, 5, 497–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dembo, R., Williams, L., Wothke, W., Schmeidler, J., & Brown, C. H. (1992). The role of family factors, physical abuse, and sexual victimization experiences in high-risk youths’ alcohol and other drug use and delinquency: A longitudinal model. Violence & Victims, 7, 245–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. D., & Pettit, G. S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250, 1678–1683.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Unger, A. V., Land, K. C., & McCall, P. (2002). Sex differences in age patterns of delinquent/criminal careers: Results from Poisson latent class analyses of the Philadelphia Cohort Study. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 18, 349–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, R., & Sowers, S. (2001). Juvenile justice practice: A cross-disciplinary approach to intervention. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

  • Fontaine, N., Carbonneau, R., Vitaro, F., Barker, E. D., & Tremblay, R. E. (2009). Research review: A critical review of studies on the developmental trajectories of antisocial behavior in females. Journal of Child Psychology & Psychiatry, 50, 363–385.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gendreau, P., & Smith, P. (2006). The theory of effective correctional intervention: Empirical status and future directions. In F. T. Cullen, J. P. Wright & K. R. Blevins (Eds.), Taking Stock: The Status of Criminological Theory. Advances in Criminological Theory. Volume 15. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giordano, P. C. (1978). Girls, guys and gangs: The changing social context of female delinquency. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 69, 26–132.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gottfredson, M. R., & Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartjen, C. A., & Priyadarsini, S. (2003). Gender, peers, and delinquency: A study of boys and girls in rural France. Youth and Society, 34, 387–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haynie, D. L., & Osgood, D. W. (2005). Reconsidering peers and delinquency: How do peers matter? Social Forces, 84, 1109–1130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jennings, W. G., Piquero, N. L., Gover, A. R., & Pérez, D. (2009). Gender and general strain theory: A replication and exploration of Broidy and Agnew’s gender/strain hypothesis among a sample of southwestern Mexican American adolescents. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37, 404–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jensen, G. F. (2003). Gender variation in delinquency: Self-image, beliefs and peers as mediating mechanisms. In R. L. Akers & G. F. Jensen (Eds.), Advances in criminological theory, a guide for the new century: Social learning theory and the explanation of crime (pp. 151–177). New Brunswick: Transaction.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, R. (1979). Juvenile delinquency and its origins. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Komro, K. A., et al. (2004). Brief report: The adaptation of Project Northland for urban youth. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 29, 457–466.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Komro, K. A., et al. (2008). Outcomes from a randomized controlled trial of a multi-component alcohol use preventive intervention for urban youth: Project Northland Chicago. Addiction, 103, 606–618.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lanctôt, N., & LeBlanc, M. (2002). Explaining deviance by adolescent females. In M. Tonry (Ed.), Crime and justice: A review of research, vol. 29 (pp. 113–202). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landenberger, N. A., & Lipsey, M. (2005). The positive effects of cognitive-behavioral programs for offenders: A meta-analysis of factors associated with effective treatment. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 1, 457–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leonard, E. (1982). Women, crime, and society. New York: Longman.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, J. M., & Chesney-Lind, M. (2001). Gender bias and juvenile justice revisited: A multiyear analysis. Crime & Delinquency, 47, 173–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mears, D. P., Ploeger, M., & Warr, M. (1998). Explaining the gender gap in delinquency: Peer group influence and moral evaluations of behavior. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 35, 251–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, H. V., Jennings, W. G., Alvarez-Rivera, L. L., & Miller, J. M. (2008). Explaining substance use among Puerto Rican adolescents: A partial test of social learning theory. Journal of Drug Issues, 38, 261–284.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., Rutter, M., & Silva, P. A. (2001). Sex differences in antisocial behaviour: Conduct disorder,delinquency, and violence in the Dunedin Longitudinal Study. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morash, M. (1986). Gender, peer group experiences, and seriousness of delinquency. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 23, 46–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naffine, N. (1985). The masculinity-femininity hypothesis. British Journal of Criminology, 25, 365–381.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nagin, D. S. (2005). Group-based modeling of development. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Odgers, C. L., et al. (2008). Female and male antisocial trajectories: From childhood origins to adult outcomes. Development and Psychopathology, 20, 673–716.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osgood, D. W., & Anderson, A. (2004). Unstructured socializing and rates of delinquency. Criminology, 42, 519–549.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osgood, D. W., Wilson, J. K., Bachman, J. G., O’Malley, P. M., & Johnson, L. D. (1996). Routine activities and individual deviant behavior. American Sociological Review, 61, 635–655.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, F. S., Lipton, D. S., Cleland, C. M., & Yee, D. S. (2002). The effects of behavioral/cognitive-behavioral programs on recidivism. Crime and Delinquency, 48, 476–496.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piquero, A. R. (2008). “Taking stock of developmental trajectories of criminal activity over the life course”. In A. Liberman (Ed.), The long view of crime: A synthesis of longitudinal research (Chapter 3). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piquero, N. L., & Sealock, M. D. (2004). Gender and general strain theory: A preliminary test of Broidy and Agnew’s gender/GST hypotheses. Justice Quarterly, 21, 125–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piquero, N. L., Gover, A. R., MacDonald, J. M., & Piquero, A. R. (2005a). The influence of delinquent peers on delinquency: Does gender matter? Youth and Society, 36, 251–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piquero, A. R., Brame, R., & Moffitt, T. E. (2005b). Extending the study of continuity and change: Gender differences in the linkage between adolescent and adult offending. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 21, 219–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schwartz, G. (1978). Estimating dimensions of a model. Annals of Statistics, 6, 461–464.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simons, R. L., Miller, M. G., & Aigner, S. M. (1980). Contemporary theories of deviance and female delinquency: An empirical test. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 17, 42–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, S. S. (1989). Feminist theory, crime, and justice. Criminology, 27, 605–631.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, D. A., & Paternoster, R. (1987). The gender gap in theories of deviance: Issues and evidence. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 24, 140–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steffensmeier, D., Schwartz, J., Zhong, H., & Ackerman, J. (2005). An assessment of recent trends in girls’ violence using diverse longitudinal sources: Is the gender gap closing. Criminology, 43, 355–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Svensson, R. (2003). Gender differences in adolescent drug use. Youth and Society, 34, 300–329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tittle, C. R., Ward, D. A., & Grasmick, H. B. (2003). Gender, age, and crime/deviance. Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, 40, 426–453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Triplett, R., & Payne, B. (2004). Problem solving as reinforcement in adolescent drug use: Implications for theory and policy. Journal of Criminal Justice, 32, 617–630.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zahn, M.A. et. al. (2008). Violence by teenage girls: Trends and contexts. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Download references

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by grant R01-AA13458 from NIAAA to Kelli A. Komro, Ph.D. (principal investigator) and grant K01-AA017480 from NIAAA to Mildred M. Maldonado-Molina (principal investigator). All study methods were approved by the Institutional Review Board at the University of Minnesota. University of Florida and University of Louisville IRBs approved conduct of secondary data analyses. We wish to thank the Project Northland-Chicago staff for extensive efforts in data collection, data management and computer programming.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

    Wesley G. Jennings

  2. University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Mildred M. Maldonado-Molina & Kelli A. Komro

Authors
  1. Wesley G. Jennings
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Mildred M. Maldonado-Molina
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kelli A. Komro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Wesley G. Jennings.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Jennings, W.G., Maldonado-Molina, M.M. & Komro, K.A. Sex Similarities/Differences in Trajectories of Delinquency among urban Chicago Youth: The Role of Delinquent Peers. Am J Crim Just 35, 56–75 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-009-9066-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-009-9066-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation