NCJ Number
207362
Journal
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2004 Pages: 416-440
Date Published
November 2004
Length
25 pages
Annotation
After explaining the "criminal events perspective" (CEP), this article reviews the role of interactions within this perspective, followed by a presentation of empirical findings on the influence of interactions in a criminal event.
Abstract
"Criminal events perspective" is a tool that theorists and researchers use to construct models of variables related to crime. The full use of CEP requires the selection of variables related to offenders, victims, and the social context in which they interact. The interaction of the variables is important in producing a criminal event. The current research used characteristics of neighborhoods, family, leisure, and the social context of schools to examine a number of interactions in a variety of delinquent outcomes. It tested whether the characteristics of residential neighborhoods may foster a number of situations that facilitate delinquent behavior, and the family and leisure characteristics may interact with these residential characteristics to increase the risk of delinquency. Data came from Wave 1 of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, which involved a sample of 17,890 adolescents from 132 schools. The findings were generally consistent with the expectations. The research provided evidence of moderating or conditional effects based on various interactions. Various interaction patterns contributed to different types of delinquency. 3 tables, 2 figures, and 36 references