Continuity and discontinuity in criminal behavior from adolescence to adulthood: The importance of adult life events

The general nature of criminal offending and the factors related to the persistence and desistance of criminal behavior into adulthood were investigated using data from the Minnesota longitudinal study of parents and children, a 27-year longitudinal study of developmental adaptation. The effects of criminal risk variables, including the degree of employment obstacles, relationship negativity, substance use, and delinquent peer associations, on the degree of criminal offending in adulthood were studied. Distinct groups of offending, such as abstainers, adult onset offenders, persisting offenders, and desisting offenders, were also identified. Results supported previous research in that a relatively small proportion of the sample was responsible for the majority of both self-report and official offending; males were more likely than females to offend and their offenses were more serious in nature; females participated in low frequency offending that remained relatively constant over time. Hierarchical linear regressions indicated that the criminal risk variables accounted for 60% of the variance for male self-report offending; 39% of the variance for male official offending; 55% of the variance for female self-report offending; and 27% of the variance for female official offending. Substance use was the most powerful predictor for males and association with delinquent peer and employment obstacles were the most powerful predictors for females. ANOVAs indicated that the there were significant differences on the criminal risk variables among the groups of offenders. As predicted, the persisting group had the highest level of criminal risk variables and the abstaining group had the lowest level of criminal risk variables, regardless of gender. Males in the persisting group showed increases in their employment obstacles, substance use, and relationship negativity over time. Both males and females in the persisting group showed a decrease in their association with delinquent friends at age 23. Males and females in the desisting group showed a decrease in their association with delinquent peers from adolescence to adulthood. This study highlights the importance of studying male and female offending separately, of studying male offending in the context of substance use, and of obtaining both official and self-report offending data. Implications for further research are also discussed.