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The impact of romantic relationships during the adolescent period has received significantly less attention in the literature compared to the influence of romantic relationships during adulthood. Specifically, how these influences may differ between females and males. As such, the current study uses four waves of data from the Pathways to Desistance study to examine how elements of romantic relationships, including relationship quality, monitoring, and antisocial influence, affect adolescent delinquent behaviors by sex. Results indicated several important findings regarding the desistance effects of romantic relationship quality, monitoring, and antisocial influence on adolescent violent and non-violent offending, and these varied widely by sex. Limitations, future research, and policy recommendations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to examine social learning theory (SLT) and teen dating violence (TDV) perpetration. This study aims to determine which predictors have the largest effect sizes, whether they vary for males and females, and whether they differ based on research design and sample characteristics. Methods: This study uses hierarchal meta-analytic methods to examine both within- and between-dataset differences in relationships between a variety of SLT predictors and TDV outcomes. Both bivariate and multivariate effect sizes are computed for a sample of n = 1,157 effect sizes nested in n = 116 studies that used n = 88 unique datasets. Results: Findings indicate that a variety of SLT predictors can explain TDV perpetration. Predictors with the largest effect sizes include anticipated benefits of TDV (Bivariate: r =.254; multivariate: r =.308) and peer TDV perpetration (Bivariate: r =.279; multivariate: r =.205). While most predictors show similar effect sizes for males and females, peer TDV perpetration appears to be a stronger influence for males. Several significant moderators are found. Conclusions: SLT should continue to provide a theoretical framework for TDV research and practice. Future research should examine same-sex teen relationships and sexual minorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study evaluates the relationship between employment and crime through a holistic evaluation of both treatment and treatment effect heterogeneity. Methods: This study implements a perceptual measure of job quality (job satisfaction) and hybrid fixed effects models among a sample of high-risk adults. Analyses also consider the robustness of findings across alternative operationalizations of job quality and various sample subgroups. Results: Transitioning from not working to working in the lowest quality job can be criminogenic. Among those who are working, an improvement in job quality is not generally associated with offending. However, model and crime-specific effects are observed. Evidence of treatment effect heterogeneity is also found, suggesting the effect of job quality is moderated by race/ethnicity and location. Conclusions: These findings caution criminologists against making an assumption that employment is inversely related to offending and call into question our understanding of job quality as a general disincentive for crime. Rather, evidence suggests that improvements in job quality may result in modest reductions in offending, but only for certain types of crime and certain individuals within specific labor market contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative study applied a life course framework to characterize the nature of interpersonal partner relationships of Mexican American young adult men affiliated with street gangs during their adolescence. Data come from a 15-year longitudinal mixed-method cohort study conducted in San Antonio, Texas. We analyzed semi-structured interviews conducted with a subsample (n = 40) during the course of three face-to-face sessions to explore the men's motivations, aspirations, and goals to lead conventional lives, despite their criminal justice involvement. Specifically, we focus on the complex nature of maintaining ties to children, the navigation of complicated family structures, the processes of seeking partners with economic resources, and on partnerships with criminal and delinquent partners. We document the complex interpersonal nature of these relationships as men contend with serial incarceration and their desires and motivations to desist from criminal behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Redemption scholars estimate that after an average of 7-10 years pass without a new arrest or conviction, a person’s criminal record essentially loses its predictive value. This article provides the first labor market and recidivism estimates of implementing a criminal background check decision guideline based on this redemption research. Methods: The sample consists of provisionally hired job applicants in New York State’s healthcare industry with at least one prior conviction. A “10 years since last conviction” guideline situated within a highly formalized criminal background check process plausibly creates conditional random variation in clearance decisions, which allows for a regression model to estimate causal effects. Results: Individuals cleared to work because of the 10-year guideline experience meaningful improvements in employment and earnings, but not recidivism on average. However, men do experience reductions in subsequent arrests, which appears to be driven by more complex factors beyond simply time since last arrest. Conclusions: For some individuals, receiving clearance to work even a decade after their last conviction can have not only labor market benefits, but also important recidivism implications. Future research should explore the employment opportunity/recidivism trade-off in adjusting guideline threshold values and consider alternative redemption strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]