RT Article T1 Continuity of Offending in Young Adulthood: A Test of Moffitt’s Snares Hypothesis JF Crime & delinquency VO 70 IS 1 SP 157 OP 181 A1 Widdowson, Alex O. A2 Ranson, J.W. Andrew A2 Kyser, Anna M. LA English YR 2024 UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1882523954 AB Moffitt?s snares hypothesis posits that snares?such as addiction to drugs and alcohol, time spent incarcerated, unemployment, teenage parenthood, high school dropout, and disabling injuries?can trap individuals into persistent patterns of offending during periods in the lifecourse when desistance is normative. We test this hypothesis using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to examine the associations and mechanisms between snare exposure and criminal offending during young adulthood. Results indicate that snare exposure was associated with increased offending and that this was in part due to snare exposure undermining a successful transition to adulthood, harming health, and producing social disadvantage. Moreover, the association between snare exposure and offending varied for different life-course offending trajectories. K1 Moffitt K1 Criminal offending K1 snares hypothesis DO 10.1177/00111287211052443