Abstract
Previous research is mixed on whether the commission of a violent offense in adolescence is predictive of criminal career characteristics. In the current study, we addressed the following: (a) What factors predict the commission of serious violence in mid-adolescence? and (b) Does involvement in serious violence in mid-adolescence lead to more chronic and/or more heterogeneous patterns of offending in early adulthood? Data were obtained from the Pathways to Desistance Study, a longitudinal study of serious adolescent offenders in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Phoenix, Arizona. Prior arrests, violence exposure, and gang involvement distinguished adolescents who engaged in violence at baseline. A violent offense at baseline was not predictive of a higher frequency of rearrests but was associated with membership in the low offending trajectory. In conclusion, violent offending in adolescence might be a poor predictor of chronic and heterogeneous patterns of offending throughout the life course.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1603-1628 |
Number of pages | 26 |
Journal | International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology |
Volume | 62 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- adolescence
- early adulthood
- Pathways to Desistance
- trajectories
- violent offending