Local labor-market opportunity and adolescent delinquency

In this article, we extend the literature on adolescent delinquency by offe ring a theoretical framework that integrates insights from labor-market and stratification research on the one hand and microlevel family and criminol ogical research on the other. Analyses draw from local labor-market data an d nationally representative longitudinal survey data on adolescents and emp loy techniques that take into account clustering within hierarchical struct ures. Findings suggest strong effects of low-wage service-sector concentrat ion and unemployment on the likelihood of both fighting and drug use among adolescents. Consistent with our emphasis on potential mediating processes, we find that these effects are partially produced through the patterning o f family, income, family intactness, and adolescent attachment to parents a nd school. An interesting finding is that low-wage service-sector size and unemployment effects on adolescent delinquency persist even with potential mediators controlled. We conclude by discussing these persistent effects an d their implications.