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Understanding the relationship between self‐reported offending and official criminal charges across early adulthood
Author(s) -
Gilman Amanda B.,
Hill Karl G.,
Kim B. K. Elizabeth,
Nevell Alyssa,
Hawkins J. David,
Farrington David P.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
criminal behaviour and mental health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.63
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1471-2857
pISSN - 0957-9664
DOI - 10.1002/cbm.1934
Subject(s) - early adulthood , psychology , life course approach , ethnic group , criminal record , young adult , criminology , developmental psychology , political science , law
Background There has been very little research examining criminal careers in adulthood using both self‐report data and official records. Aims The aims of this paper are to use self‐reports and official criminal records to explore (1) the prevalences and frequencies of offending behaviour in adulthood; (2) continuity in offending behaviour across the life course; and (3) predictors of official court charges in adulthood. Method Data are drawn from the Seattle Social Development Project, a longitudinal study of 808 participants followed from childhood into early adulthood. Data from ages 21 through 33 are used to examine criminal careers. Results Prevalences of offending behaviour decreased with age, whilst frequency amongst offenders remained stable or increased. There was significant continuity in offending from adolescence to adulthood in both self‐reports and official records, especially for violence. Violent offences were most likely to result in a court charge. Even after controlling for self‐reported frequency of offending, demographic variables (gender, ethnicity, and poverty) were significantly related to a court charge. Conclusions Self‐report and official records, both separately and together, provide valuable information for understanding criminal careers in adulthood, especially with regard to offending continuity across the life course and predicting the likelihood of a court charge. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.