Researchers have used both self-reports and official records to measure the prevalence and frequency of crime and delinquency. Few studies have compared longitudinally the validity of these two measures across gender and race/ethnicity in order to assess concordance. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance, a longitudinal study of 1,354 serious youthful offenders, we compare official records of arrest and self-reports of arrest over seven years. Findings show moderate agreement between self-reports and official arrests, which is fairly stable over time and quite similar across both gender and race/ethnicity. We do not find any race differences in the prevalence of official arrests, but do observe a gender difference in official arrests that is not accounted for by self-reported arrests. Further work on issues on the validity and reliability of different forms of offending data across demographic groups is needed. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage.
Comparing Official and Self-Report Records of Offending Across Gender and Race/Ethnicity in a Longitudinal Study of Serious Youthful Offenders
NCJ Number
247811
Journal
Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Dated: July 2014 Pages: 526-556
Date Published
July 2014
Length
31 pages
Annotation
Researchers have used both self-reports and official records to measure the prevalence and frequency of crime and delinquency.
Abstract
Date Published: July 1, 2014