YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AND DELINQUENCY - RECONSIDERING A PROBLEMATIC RELATIONSHIP

Employment is often thought to discourage participation in crime, but self-report data from juveniles consistently disclose a positive corre lation between employment and delinquency. This analysis tests three p ossible explanations for that correlation. The first is that differenc es in levels of delinquency between workers and nonworkers exist prior to employment The second holds that working increases independence fr om parents, thereby reducing the controlling effect of parental influe nce. The third explanation, drawing on Sutherland's theory of differen tial association is that employment increases delinquent behavior by e xposing adolescents to a wider network of peers, including delinquent peers. Analysis of data from waves 1, 2, and 3 of the National Youth S urvey reveals a positive association between employment and some forms of delinquency, especially alcohol and drug use. Selection bias expla ins much, but not all, of the association. Although no support is foun d for the parental influence explanation, the remaining employment eff ect is explained by exposure to delinquent peers.