Conventional and Delinquent Activities: Implications for the Prevention of Violent Victimization Among Adolescents

• NCJ Number: 139626
• Date Published: January 1992
• Length: 18 pages
• Author(s): J H Laub, J L Lauritsen, R J Sampson
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored

Annotation

Data from the National Youth Survey and the Monitoring the Future Studies were analyzed within a framework derived from lifestyle/routine activities theories to determine the relationship between conventional and delinquent activities and violent victimization, specifically assault and robbery, among American adolescents.

Abstract

The findings showed that certain adolescent activities, particularly delinquent behaviors, were related to victimization risk. Therefore, in victimization prevention programs aiming to target high-risk groups, delinquent involvement must be explicitly considered. While delinquency increases the risk of assault and robbery, this study could not identify any conventional lifestyle factors or activities which would reduce the risk of violence for adolescents. The authors conclude that a key component in the prevention of adolescent violence is delinquency prevention to reduce the risk of violent both among delinquency-prone subgroups and among other groups in proximity to delinquents. Intervention strategies including alternative dispute resolution programs appears to be the most promising approach for reducing adolescent victimization. 3 tables, 23 notes, and 34 references