NCJ Number
141253
Journal
Criminology Volume: 31 Issue: 1 Dated: (February 1993) Pages: 17-40
Date Published
1993
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Data from the National Youth Survey (NYS) on a pooled sample of 8,625 persons aged 11-21 were analyzed to determine the ability of a quintessentially sociological theory of crime, namely Sutherland's theory of differential association, to explain the age distribution of crime.
Abstract
Analysis of the data shows that peer relations in the form of exposure to delinquent peers, time spent with peers, and loyalty to peers changed markedly over the 11-21 age span and followed much the same pattern as crime itself. When measures of peer influence were controlled, the effects of age on self-reported delinquency were rendered largely insignificant. The results provide mixed support for Sutherland's arguments about priority and duration. As Sutherland suggested, exposure to delinquent influences in early life had a lasting influence on recent behavior. However, the priority of delinquent friendships acted opposite to his prediction, and recent rather than early friends had the greatest effect on delinquency. Delinquent friends tended to be not quickly lost once acquired. 7 notes, 5 tables, and 35 references