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Sociological theories of delinquency offer rather divergent predictions concerning the eflect of dropping out of high school on subsequent delinquent and criminal behavior. For example, strain theory suggests that dropping out decreases such behavior, especially for lower class youth, while social control theov suggests that dropping out should increase the chances of criminal activity. Moreover, empirical studies provide support for each of these views with the most influential study (Elliott and Voss, 1974) presenting evidence consistent with a strain perspective. The present investigation identifies methodological shortcomings in previous studies and reexamines the link between dropout status and subsequent criminal activity. Results indicate that dropping out of high school is positively associated with later crime, an outcome that is consistent with a control perspective.The relationship between school failure and criminal behavior is a recurrent theme in theories of delinquency. Eventual dropouts have been found to have considerably higher rates of delinquency during high school than do graduates (e.g., Elliott and Voss, 1974; Polk, Adler, Bazemore, Blake, Cordray, Coventry, Galvin, and Temple, 1981), a finding consistent both with conventional wisdom and most theories of delinquency. However, what is not clear either theoretically or empirically is the effect that dropping out of high school has on subsequent criminal behavior. Indeed, for this relationship two basic models of delinquency, strain theory and social control theory, offer rather divergent predictions.CRIMINOLOGY VOLUME 23 NUMBER 1 1985 3

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