NCJ Number
100432
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 10 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall 1985) Pages: 1-6
Date Published
1985
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Three birth cohorts of individuals born in Racine, Wis., in 1942, 1949, and 1955 (numbering 633, 1297, and 2139 persons, respectively) were followed over a span of 25 years to (1) examine changes in female relative to male delinquency, (2) pinpoint the historical moment at which these changes, if any, began to materialize, and (3) account for any observed changes.
Abstract
The results show substantial changes in female delinquency rates over time, but these changes do not necessarily appear at a point in time that would support a feminist perspective that the women's liberation movement affected female crime rates and crime types. Finally, the presence of different age, period, and cohort influences suggests a need for theoretical refinement. It is suggested that theories validated upon male samples only afford very limited theoretical promise for explaining female delinquency. A more fruitful approach might be to view female delinquency as a distinct phenomenon. (Author abstract)