GENDER AND RACE DIFFERENCES IN DELINQUENT CAREERS

Studies of delinquent careers have often tracked only male offenders, and have almost always failed to explore the interaction of race and g ender in delinquency. This study tracks a cohort of youth whose first referral to juvenile court was in 1980, and explores the role played b y both race and gender in official delinquent careers. Findings reveal that both race and gender play a significant role in official delinqu ency. Looking first at female delinquency, this research finds that wh ite and nonwhite females do not differ significantly in the types of o ffenses they commit. Moreover, if girls are ''chronic'' delinquents, t heir offenses are most often trivial rather than serious. With males, racial differences emerge in both seriousness and chronic nature delin quency. Nonwhite males in this cohort are more likely to be referred f or personal offenses and less likely to be referred for public order a nd victimless offenses. Nonwhite males are also significantly mom like ly to become recidivists, and to have mom seriously delinquent careers . This article discusses the implications of these findings, particula rly with reference to the ''convergence theory'' of delinquency, which suggests that race plays a stronger role than gender in female delinq uency. Finally, the article considers the policy implications of the c urrent range of definitions of ''chronic'' delinquency.