NCJ Number
195483
Journal
Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention Volume: 2 Issue: 2 Dated: 2001 Pages: 191-212
Date Published
2001
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This article tests the assumption that adolescents who have part-time jobs are less likely to engage in delinquent activities.
Abstract
The authors note that there is a long-standing belief held by the public as well as academics, that if adolescents are involved in jobs, they either do not have the time to engage in delinquent activities or they are socialized into positive adult roles that lead them away from delinquency. The article examines three grand theories of criminology: social control theory, strain theory, and differential association theory, in order to illustrate the overwhelming assumption that adolescents who have jobs are less likely to commit crimes. However, an examination of research conducted in the United States on the link between delinquency and adolescent part-time work shows that intensive working increases the risk of delinquency among adolescents attending school. The current study sought to expand the knowledge of how work is related to delinquency in Finland. The data was derived from the 2001 self-report delinquency study that was conducted by the Finnish National Research Institute of Legal Policy. The data was collected from 48 municipal comprehensive schools, which constituted a random cluster sample with geographical area and community residential density as stratification criteria. The results of multivariate analyses do support the United States research that concludes that intensive weekly working is significantly positively related to delinquent behavior in adolescents. Tables, figures, references, and appendixes