Crime & Delinquency

Bares, Kyle J.

doi: 10.1177/00111287231202778pmid: N/A

Research on the transition into adulthood finds that individuals are likely to take on new adult roles which can influence a change in identity. Furthermore, literature on desistance finds that offending tends to decline as individuals transition into adulthood and that this decline can be attributed to changes in internal processes such as developing a new pro-social identity. However, scholarship has yet to conceptualize and measure the development of an adult identity as a latent construct. The current study seeks to establish a new latent time variant measurement I call Latent Adult Attitudes (LAA) and examine LAA’s association with offending. LAA uses a collection of items focused on attitudes towards adult roles to measure a latent construct of adult identity.

García-Rojo, Marina; Talavera-Velasco, Beatriz; Luceño-Moreno, Lourdes

doi: 10.1177/00111287231194717pmid: N/A

The involvement of juveniles in urban gangs has increased in different territories. Consequently, government resources have been invested to dismantle and contain such gangs. The aim of this paper was to analyze studies that relate risk factors with the increasing integration of juveniles into urban gangs. Nine scientific articles were included, out of a total of 394 publications. Different risk factors significantly related with the integration of juveniles into urban gangs were identified: social disorganization, unsafety neighborhood, school failure, absenteeism, and failure to pass assessment standards, involvement of family members in criminal acts, depression, substance use, low self-esteem, rebelliousness and elevated feelings of leadership, social disadvantage, or lack of resources. The risk factors analyzed should be integrated into prevention programs.