Work Conditions and Juvenile Delinquency: Is Youth Employment Criminogenic?
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-1997
Description
In both public and scholarly circles, it often is assumed that employ ment is beneficial to the development of adolescents. To assess this claim, we explored the relationship of working to delinquency among a sample of youths, drawn from the National Youth Survey, who were in school and between the ages of 12 and 19. The analysis revealed that work conditions, especially the number of hours employed, were posi tively associated with delinquent involvement. We argue that these results are consistent with a critical criminological perspective, which would see juvenile employment within its structural context and be sen sitive to how the needs of youths are not served in the prevailing labor market. Accordingly, we caution against a policy agenda that views employment as a panacea for delinquency.
Citation Information
Cullen, Francis T.; Williams, Nicolas; and Wright, John Paul. 1997. Work Conditions and Juvenile Delinquency: Is Youth Employment Criminogenic?. Criminal Justice Policy Review. Vol.8(2-3). 119-143. https://doi.org/10.1177/088740349700800201 ISSN: 0887-4034