Elsevier

Journal of Criminal Justice

Volume 47, December 2016, Pages 108-122
Journal of Criminal Justice

The role of peer delinquency and unstructured socializing in explaining delinquency and substance use: A state-of-the-art review☆

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2016.08.001Get rights and content

Highlights

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    Review summarizes the literature linking peer and individual delinquency.

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    Review summarizes the literature linking unstructured socializing to delinquency.

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    Quality of measurement strategy is central to both literatures.

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    Associations are frequently moderated by other key theoretical variables.

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    Several important research questions require additional empirical scrutiny.

Abstract

Purpose

Peer delinquency and unstructured socializing have been identified as important correlates of delinquency and substance use. This state-of-the-art review explicates research into these associations to identify important trends in the literature and directions for future research.

Methods

A search of the criminological literature and literatures of allied disciplines was executed to identify studies that have examined the potential influence of peer delinquency and unstructured socializing on delinquency and substance use.

Results

The review highlights the theoretical underpinnings of the two constructs, issues of measurement quality, the generality of effects on delinquency and substance use, advances in the respective literatures, and important remaining gaps for future research to fill.

Conclusions

While considerable attention has been given to studying the potential influence of peer delinquency and unstructured socializing on delinquency and substance use, there remain a number of ways in which these literatures can be advanced to provide a more complete understanding of the relevance of these constructs for the etiology of delinquency and substance use.

Section snippets

Theoretical background

Peer delinquency is often considered a key theoretical variable for social influence perspectives (e.g., differential association theory [Sutherland, 1947, Sutherland and Cressey, 1955] and social learning theory [Akers, 1973]). One of the earliest arguments for the correlation between peer and individual delinquency, as stated in differential association theory (Sutherland, 1947, Sutherland and Cressey, 1955), was that peers influence the behavior of individuals by teaching them techniques for

Theoretical background

Researchers have drawn from several theoretical perspectives to account for the relationship between unstructured time spent with peers and delinquency (see Agnew & Petersen, 1989). For example, some studies have applied social bond theory (Hirschi, 1969), arguing that unconventional leisure activities with peers may weaken social bonds and provide opportunities for delinquency (Hawdon, 1996). Other researchers have drawn on subcultural deviance theory, arguing that participation in

3. Discussion

In this review we sought to provide readers with an up-to-date synthesis of the research focused on the association between two prominent peer constructs in the criminological literature – peer delinquency and unstructured socializing – and involvement in delinquency and substance use. As our review indicates, considerable attention has been directed at investigating these associations, with clear evidence that peer delinquency and unstructured socializing play important roles in understanding

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    ☆

    All authors contributed equally to the preparation of this manuscript. Author order is listed alphabetically.

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