Drifters and Delinquents: Commitment and Neutralization in Low- and High-Rate Offending Early Adolescents
The purpose of this study was to compare drift/neutralization and criminal lifestyle interpretations of the neutralization-delinquency nexus in 1,005 (498 boys, 506 girls) youth (mean age?=?11.22?years) organized into three groups: no delinquency, low-rate delinquency, and high-rate delinquency. Fin...
| Authors: | ; ; |
|---|---|
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2023
|
| In: |
Crime & delinquency
Year: 2023, Volume: 69, Issue: 1, Pages: 66-87 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
|
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | The purpose of this study was to compare drift/neutralization and criminal lifestyle interpretations of the neutralization-delinquency nexus in 1,005 (498 boys, 506 girls) youth (mean age?=?11.22?years) organized into three groups: no delinquency, low-rate delinquency, and high-rate delinquency. Findings showed that low-rate delinquent youth were as committed to conventional social relationships as nondelinquent youth and more committed to conventional relationships than high-rate delinquent youth. It was further noted that low-rate or drifting delinquents used neutralization techniques more often than nondelinquents but less often than high-rate delinquents. These results suggest that neutralization may be less a matter of relieving guilt after having violated the law than it is a way of constructing a moral value system that supports crime. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1552-387X |
| DOI: | 10.1177/00111287211039992 |