Effects of Neighborhood Context on Youth Violence and Delinquency: Does Gender Matter?

• NCJ Number: 241693
• Journal: Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: 2012 Pages: 64-82
• Author(s): Abigail A. Fagan; Emily M. Wright
• Date Published: 2012
• Length: 19 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-IJ-CX-0043
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Award: Exposure to Intimate Partner Violence: Gendered and Contextual Effects on Adolescent Interpersonal Violence, Drug Use, and Mental Health Outcomes

Annotation

This study examined the effects of neighborhood structural and social characteristics on offending among girls and boys aged 8-17 residing in 80 Chicago neighborhoods.

Abstract

This study examined the effects of neighborhood structural and social characteristics on offending among girls and boys aged 8-17 residing in 80 Chicago neighborhoods. The results demonstrated gender differences in contextual effects, although not in ways predicted by social disorganization theory. Collective efficacy and concentrated disadvantage were not significantly associated with self-reported offending among males. Among females, collective efficacy was related to higher rates of general delinquency and violence, while disadvantage reduced the likelihood of self-reported violence. These outcomes suggest that neighborhoods may impact individual offending in complex ways and highlight the importance of considering gender when researching contextual effects on youth offending. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.