A Test of the Dual Taxonomy Explanation of Life-Course-Persistent Offending: Individual Risk, Social Bonds, and Within-Individual Change in Delinquency in Children With Early Police Contact

According to Moffitt’s theory of life-course-persistent offending, an early onset of delinquent behavior is often indicative of a pattern of delinquency that is persistent and insusceptible to outside influence. Prior research however has identified ample variation in the delinquent patterns of chil...

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Authors: van Hazebroek, Babette C. M. (Author) ; van Domburgh, Lieke (Author) ; Blokland, Arie Aart Jan 1973- (Author) ; Keijser, Jan Willem de 1968- (Author) ; Popma, Arne (Author) ; Wermink, Hilde T. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2025
In: Criminal justice and behavior
Year: 2025, Volume: 52, Issue: 11, Pages: 1622-1642
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
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Summary:According to Moffitt’s theory of life-course-persistent offending, an early onset of delinquent behavior is often indicative of a pattern of delinquency that is persistent and insusceptible to outside influence. Prior research however has identified ample variation in the delinquent patterns of children who engage in early-onset delinquency, raising questions on the susceptibility of their behavior to external factors. Here, we use longitudinal data of children with a first police contact prior to age 12 to examine the association between within-individual changes in social bonds with parents, peers, and school and self-reported delinquency during the transition into adolescence, as well as their interaction with pre/perinatal risk and parental offending. Results from hybrid random effect models show that an increase in involvement with parents with a criminal history and delinquent peers, as well as an increase in skipping class are associated with an increase in children’s delinquent behavior.
ISSN:1552-3594
DOI:10.1177/00938548251350120