NCJ Number
109306
Journal
Journal of Law and Economics Volume: 30 Issue: 2 Dated: (October 1987) Pages: 443-464
Date Published
1987
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study examines the hypothesis that the Federal minimum wage law appears to have increased teenage arrests for certain crimes.
Abstract
Little empirical evidence exists to support the link between minimum wages and the rising rate of youth crimes. This study uses arrest data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports for teenagers and young adults for the period 1947-1982 as the dependent variable. Regression analyses were conducted for 18 different crime categories. Results support the hypothesis that the minimum wage is more likely to increase crimes by teenagers than crimes by older population groups, and that such increases are more likely to occur in property-related than in nonproperty crimes. Findings suggest also that the growth in the minimum wage affected teenage arrests differently for different crime categories. These findings can be viewed as evidence for the link between teenage participation in certain crime types and the minimum wage. Footnotes, definitions, tabular data, and 16 references.