Relationships Between Youth Crime and Employment - A Theoretical and Empirical Approach

• NCJ Number: 81079
• Author(s): M A Pirog-Good
• Date Published: 1981
• Length: 225 pages
• Grant Number(s): 80-IJ-CX-0021
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services; Not Available Through National Institute of Justice/NCJRS Document Loan Program
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: University of Pennsylvania - doctoral dissertation

Annotation

The dissertation examines the theoretical and empirical relationships between youth crime and employment.

Abstract

As a literature review shows, one can argue that there are hierarchical, simultaneous or nonsystematic relationships between youth crime and employment. Likewise, the results of the empirical studies related to youth crime and employment are conflicting. The data for the empirical component of the present study derive from admission information from 302 delinquent and predelinquent youths who participated in a community-based delinquency prevention program located in Philadelphia. Data were collected between June 1977 and November 1978. Factors considered are the sociodemographic characteristics, arrest records, and employment histories of the youths, as well as economic indicators of the local labor market. Special emphasis is placed on establishing the critical time relationships between individuals' crime and employment decisions. For that reason, the study develops a simultaneous model relating employability to the net utility of crime. The study concludes that a past employment history affect a youth's employability, that job search variables are insignificant after controlling for youth's employment status in previous time periods, and that contrary to expectations, the more recent a police contact, the greater a youth's employability. A high employability index results in a lower net utility of crime, which supports a simultaneous economic model of crime and employment. Finally, distinctions between types of employment and crimes appear to be relatively unimportant in determining the probability of employment or crime. It is concluded that on the whole, having a job reduces the likelihood of criminal behavior. For that reason, public programs which employ youths, e.g., programs sponsored under the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act, are likely to produce a reduction in crime. As even low wage jobs can have a positive effect on youth's criminal tendencies, a lower minimum wage policy might also lower juvenile crime rates. Additional research on the timing aspects of employment and crime decisions, on distinctions between types of jobs, and on juveniles' educational performance and attendance records is suggested. Extensive tables, illustrations, notes, and an appendix containing descriptive statistics for the data are supplied.