Comparing Official and Self-Report Records of Offending Across Gender and Race/Ethnicity in a Longitudinal Study of Serious Youthful Offenders

• NCJ Number: 247811
• Journal: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2014 Pages: 526-556
• Author(s): Alex R. Piquero; Carol A. Schubert; Robert Brame
• Date Published: July 2014
• Length: 31 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2008-IJ-CX-0023
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

Researchers have used both self-reports and official records to measure the prevalence and frequency of crime and delinquency.

Abstract

Researchers have used both self-reports and official records to measure the prevalence and frequency of crime and delinquency. Few studies have compared longitudinally the validity of these two measures across gender and race/ethnicity in order to assess concordance. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance, a longitudinal study of 1,354 serious youthful offenders, we compare official records of arrest and self-reports of arrest over seven years. Findings show moderate agreement between self-reports and official arrests, which is fairly stable over time and quite similar across both gender and race/ethnicity. We do not find any race differences in the prevalence of official arrests, but do observe a gender difference in official arrests that is not accounted for by self-reported arrests. Further work on issues on the validity and reliability of different forms of offending data across demographic groups is needed. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage.