Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A Routine Activity Approach

Cohen, Lawrence E.; Felson, Marcus

doi:10.2307/2094589

Cited by 7,347 publications

(6,399 citation statements)

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“…The application of routine activities theory (Cohen and Felson, 1979) to the relationship between sport and delinquency is necessarily more narrowly focused. The theory does not lead intuitively to any particular hypothesis regarding the behavioral outcomes associated with a jock identity, nor does it speak to the likelihood that an adolescent will engage in such minor delinquent acts as arguing with a parent, telling a lie for personal gain, cheating on an exam, or cursing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Where social bonds theory emphasizes the offender's motivations for refraining from deviant behavior, routine activities theory notes that opportunities to commit delinquent acts require not only a motivated offender but a suitable target and the absence of a capable guardian as well (Cohen and Felson, 1979). By structuring adolescents' time in adult-supervised settings during post-school hours when many teens are otherwise at loose ends, participation in organized sports limits such opportunities.…”

Section: Deterrence Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eitle et al 2003 also found that the relationship between sports and substance use was race-specific; they identified a weak deterrent effect of sports participation on substance use by black adolescents, though this effect did not extend to white or Latino adolescents, and in fact white male athletes were more likely to be alcohol-abusive or alcohol-dependent than their nonathletic counterparts. Where social bonds theory emphasizes the offender's motivations for refraining from deviant behavior, routine activities theory notes that opportunities to commit delinquent acts require not only a motivated offender but a suitable target and the absence of a capable guardian as well (Cohen and Felson, 1979). By structuring adolescents' time in adult-supervised settings during post-school hours when many teens are otherwise at loose ends, participation in organized sports limits such opportunities.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Either organized sports do not in fact significantly and reliably strengthen social bonds, or the posited effect is offset by other factors, such as positive deviance (Hughes and Coakley, 1991). It may also be that engagement with some sports buffers adolescents against delinquency more effectively than engagement with others, although our data did not permit direct examination of hypothesis.The application of routine activities theory (Cohen and Felson, 1979) to the relationship between sport and delinquency is necessarily more narrowly focused. The theory does not lead intuitively to any particular hypothesis regarding the behavioral outcomes associated with a jock identity, nor does it speak to the likelihood that an adolescent will engage in such minor delinquent acts as arguing with a parent, telling a lie for personal gain, cheating on an exam, or cursing.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Athletic Involvement and Adolescent Delinquency

Miller

Melnick

Barnes

et al. 2006

J Youth Adolescence

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Athough conventional wisdom suggests that organized sport deters delinquency by building character, structuring adolescents' time, and providing incentives for socially approved behavior, the empirical evidence to date has been mixed. Based on a sample of approximately 600 Western New York adolescents, the present study examined how self-reported jock identity, school athlete status, and frequency of athletic activity differentially influenced a range of delinquent behaviors. Neither athlete status nor frequency of athletic activity predicted these behaviors; however, jock identity was associated with significantly more incidents of delinquency. This finding was robust across both gender and race. Follow-up analyses indicated that jock identity facilitated both minor and major delinquency, with major delinquency effects for white but not black adolescents. KeywordsAthletic involvement; Delinquency; Adolescence; Identity Lying, cheating, stealing, and other forms of deviant or delinquent behavior among high schoolaged U.S. adolescents have grown more common over the course of the past decade (Josephson Institute of Ethics, 2002). While most teens experiment with delinquent behavior at some point in the developmental trajectory from childhood to adulthood, choices made in adolescence may have both immediate and long-term consequences. Thus considerable attention has been devoted to identifying structured activities that provide both opportunities for more conventional success and resources for exploiting those opportunities (Feldman and Matjasko, 2005;Fraser-Thomas et al., 2005). For example, the salutary effects of organized sports on adolescent development have been widely documented (Ewing et al., 1996; Women's Sports Foundation, 2000). This institution has a great deal of promise as a venue for promoting positive development because sports have historically occupied an unusually prominent space in the American adolescent social landscape. In the 2004-2005 school year, 42% of U.S. public high school students (about 7 million students, including 4.1 million boys and 2.9 million girls) participated in organized high school sports ( NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptAthletic involvement-in terms of both objective participation in organized sports and a subjective affiliation with an athletic or "jock" identity-plays a critical role in the lives of many American teenagers. Yet, although conventional wisdom has long suggested that organized sport deters delinquency by building character, structuring adolescents' time, and providing incentives for socially approved behavior, the empirical evidence has been mixed (Feldman and Matjasko, 2005;Rees et al., 1990;Snyder, 1994). In fact, rather than reliably serving as a deterrent, sports may under some circumstances actually be itself a pathway to delinquency. A clearer understanding of the parameters of the multifaceted relationship between athletic involvement and delinquency is necessary in order to craft effective polic...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Deterrence Explanationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Athletic Involvement and Adolescent Delinquency

Miller

Melnick

Barnes

et al. 2006

J Youth Adolescence

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“…However, at least one adult and one child in addition to the victim and perpetrator were present to witness the fatal incident upon the child. Cohen and Felson (1979) have argued that homicide is most apt to occur in the absence of capable guardians. Goetting (1988) reported empirical support for this argument when she found 61% of her sample of filicide cases occurred with no witnesses.…”

Section: Incidentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Victim, perpetrator, family, and incident characteristics of infant and child homicide in the United States Air Force

Lucas

Wezner

Milner

et al. 2002

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Objective: The present study describes factors related to fatal abuse in three age groups in the United States Air Force (USAF). Method: Records from 32 substantiated cases of fatal child abuse in the USAF were independently reviewed for 60 predefined factors. Results: Males were over-represented in young child victims (between 1 year and 4 years of age) and child victims (between 4 years and 15 years of age) but not in infant victims (between 24 hours and 1 year of age). African-American infant victims and perpetrators were over-represented. Younger victims were more likely to have been previously physically abused by the perpetrator. Perpetrators were predominantly male and the biological fathers of the victims. Infant and young child perpetrators reported childhood abuse histories, while child perpetrators reported the highest frequency of mental health contact. Victims' families reported significant life stressors. Families of young child victims were more likely divorced, separated, or single. Incidents with infants and young children tended to occur without witnesses; incidents with child victims tended to have the victim's sibling(s) and/or mother present. Fatal incidents were more frequent on the weekend, in the home, and initiated by some family disturbance. Conclusions: Differences among groups in factors related to infant and child homicide across age groups may assist in the development of more tailored abuse prevention efforts and may also guide future investigations.

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