The Relationship between Crime and Age

One of the issues that the criminology profession has focused its efforts on are the forces that shape criminal behavior. The members of this profession have attempted to understand what pushes individuals to break laws and cause harm. Their efforts have enabled them to make intriguing observations. One of these observations is that there is some link between age and criminal behavior. It has been observed that crime rates among adolescents and young adults are worryingly high (Blonigen, 2010). On the other hand, older adults tend to record lower levels of criminal activity. Why is thisthe case? Could it be that there are particular traits or realities that expose adolescents and young adults to the risk of crime? While the exact causes of the link between crime and age remain obscure, what is clear is that criminal activity is more prevalent among adolescents and young adults and that the rate of this activity declines with age.

The link between crime and age

It has already been pointed out above that the rate of criminal activity is higher among adolescents and young adults. Numerous scholars have made this observation. For instance, in his review of literature, Blonigen observes that adolescents and young adults tend to embrace crime as compared to older adults. He adds that the scholarly and scientific communities have been unable to satisfactorily explain why younger individuals are more likely to be drawn into crime. Blonigen is not alone in his observation that crime is a bigger problem for adolescents and young adults. Jeffrey Ulmer and Darrell Steffensmeier also investigated the relationship between crime and age. Their investigation confirms that younger adults are exposed to an elevated risk of becoming involved in criminal activities (Ulmer & Steffensmeier, n.d). There is clear and strong consensus within the academic community regarding the link between age and crime. The community appears to have established with certainty that criminal activity is concentrated within the adolescent and young adult stages of development.

A full understanding of the link between age and crime can only be gained through an exploration of the age-crime curve. This curve essentially defines the relationship between crime and age. It has been noted that criminal activity sets in when an individual enters the early teen years (Loeber & Farrington, 2014). It is at this stage that an individual begin to lose the innocence of childhood. The rate of crime increases steadily as one enters into the mid-teen years. It is at this stage that the rate of crime reaches its peak. Crime continues to be a challenge as onenavigates the teenage years. The early 20s marks the beginning of the end of criminal activity for many(Loeber & Farrington, 2014). At this stage, the rate of crime registers a dramatic decline. This decline is sustained throughout the later years of one’s development. This is a conclusion that Caitlin Cornelius and her colleagues make. In their examination of the association between age and crime, they state that “individuals age out of a predisposition to commit crime” (Cornelius, Lynch & Gore, 2017). The following image shows the significant increase in criminal activity during the teen years. It also sheds some light on the link between gender and criminal activity. 

It has been noted above that involvement in criminal activity often begins when one enters teenage. While this remains true, it is important to note that there have been exceptions which should be noted. The case of an 8 year old boy in Slaughter, Louisiana is among these exceptions. It is understood that the boy shot his grandmother using a pistol (Rocque, Posick & Hoyle, 2016). This case left many baffled and wondering how such a young boy could commit such an unspeakable and heinous crime. What was even more surprising is the establishment that the boy’s actions were deliberate and not accidental. The case of this boy goes against how the link between crime and age is understood. Many thought that he was simply too young to murder. It was also determined that exposure to violent video games may have played a role in the boy’s actions(Rocque, Posick & Hoyle, 2016). However, the role of the boy’s age cannot be ignored. What is clear from this case is that childhood, adolescence and young adulthood are volatile periods in the development process. The individuals who are at this stage are unstable and cannot be relied on to make wise decisions.

While age is a key factor that shapes criminal behavior, it is not the only one. Scholars have observed that other factors are also responsible for crime. These factors include sociological and biological changes. In an effort to determine if age is directly responsible for criminal behavior or it simply adds to the other factors, studies have been carried out. Sweeten, Piquero and Steinberg joined forces to carry out one such study. They controlled for other factors and focus their study on the impact of age and crime. According to their findings “changes in these constructs (social control, procedural justice, rational choice and psychosocial maturity, etc.) explain 69% of the drop in crime from ages 15 to 25” (Sweeten, Piquero & Steinberg, 2013). What this finding means is that age does not bear all responsibility for criminal activity. It is just one among many factors that define criminal behavior.

For the link between age and crime to become even clearer, key statistics need to be considered. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) collects data on crimes committed in the United States. In a report that the BJS issued in 1997, it focused on the association between age and violent crime. According to the report “rates of serious crime for 18-21 year olds (is) 17 times higher than for persons age 65 or older” (Perkins, 1997) The report adds that despite constituting less than 25% of the American population, individuals who are in the 12-24 age bracket make up nearly half of the victims of violent crime. This is significant as it indicates that in addition to being the biggest perpetrators of crimes, adolescents and young adults also bear the brunt of crime. While the report that the BJS released focused on the state of the US 20 years ago, the insights that it offers are still relevant. This report essentially confirms the assertions that those in the academic community continue to make. There is no doubt that younger individuals are more likely to carry out criminal activities.

That younger adults and adolescents are responsible for most crimes is the overall conclusion that can be arrived at from the discussion above. While this is not in question, it is worth noting that there are certain classes of crimes that appear to defy this conclusion. It has been established that younger individuals tend to commit certain types of crimes. These crimes basically involve ‘hell raising’ and causing trouble. They include vandalism, arson, petty theft and robbery (Ulmer & Steffensmeier, n.d). These crimes are non-serious. As an individual leaves adolescence and enters adulthood, they embrace more serious forms of crime. Some of these crimes include homicides and aggravated assault. Individuals in their 20s are most likely to commit these crimes. While one is more likely to abandon crime as they age, this does not always occur. It has been noted that older adults participate in particular crimes. Embezzlement, gambling and fraud are just some of the crimes that older adults have been associated with(Ulmer & Steffensmeier, n.d). The main conclusion that can be made is that while crime rates are higher among adolescents and younger adults, there are particular offenses and crimes which defy this general observation. Apart from variations across different class types, it has also been noted that the rate of crime varies by countries and period in history.

Explaining the link 

Now that it has been established that age plays a role in predisposing individuals to criminal activity, the next task is to explain this relationship. This is done in the discussion that follows.

There are a number of age-related factors that determine criminal behavior. Social control is one of these factors. Essentially, social control refers to the situations and resources in one’s social life that shields them against criminal behavior. Being married and having a job are among the social controls. These controls serve as pressure that hold an individual back from committing crimes. This is an observation that Sweeten and his colleagues made when they conducted their investigation. They noted that social controls do indeed help to minimize crime(Sweeten, Piquero & Steinberg, 2013). An individual who is married understands that the stakes are high and is therefore less likely to participate in crime. Walter Forrest and Carter Hay explored the link between crime rates and marital status. They found out that such factors as marriage, military service and employment help individuals to desist from crime (Forrest & Hay, 2011). The conclusions that Forrest and Hay make allow one to understand why older adults who are married and employed are less likely to commit crimes. While married and employed adults have much at stake, adolescents and young adults have little to lose. They lack the social controls that would remind them of what they stand to lose if they participate in crime. It is little wonder that the rate of crime within this demographic group is higher.

The social controls clearly play a vital role in reminding individuals of the need to desist from crime. In addition to these controls, it is understood that temperamental changes also affect criminal behavior (Atkinson,2013). Older adults are usually stable with properly-developed perspectives. They understand that their actions come with consequences and they try to abide by the law. This cannot be said about adolescents and young adults. These individuals tend to be reckless and immature. They give little thought to their actions and are more likely to be swayed. Their moral compass is not fully developed and they are therefore unable to make the right choices. Such factors as instability in the home compound the problems that these young people grapple with. It should be noted that certain mental conditions that young people develop make it even more difficult for them to say no to criminal behavior. This is the key observation that Pedro Pechorro and other scholars made when they set out to investigate how mental health affects juvenile crime. In an article that they authored, they state that “psychopathic-trait scores showed significant associations with the age of crime onset, age at first encounter with the law, age at first incarceration…” (Pechorro et al., 2013). Essentially, Pechorro and his team suggest that young adults grapple with immaturity which predisposes them to crime.The immaturity and the inability to make the right decision that characterize adolescents and young adultsare some of the reasons why courts hand down lighter sentences to juvenile offenders.

An individual’s view on procedural justice is yet another issue that has been offered as an explanation for the relationship between age and crime. In their study, Sweeten and his team tried to account for the views that their subjects held regarding procedural justice. They found that these views account for 3% of the crimes that juveniles commit (Sweeten, Piquero & Steinberg, 2013). What this means is that younger individuals have little faith in the judicial system. They do not think that this system delivers justice. Their disillusion and cynicism forces them into crime. It can be said that their involvement in crime is a way of rebelling. The observation that Sweeten and his team made is echoed in an article which found that many young Americans do not have faith in the legal system. According to the article, “nearly half of American young adults lack confidence in the nation’s justice system or don’t trust their local police” (Tabachnick, 2015). The situation among older adults is different. It appears that these people have more faith in the justice system. They respect the system and expect it to deliver justice and promote fairness. This is why they are less likely to commit crimes because they expect that the system will mete out punishment. This observation holds the key to addressing the high crime rates among adolescents and young adults. Concerned stakeholders should institute measures to restore confidence in the justice system.

In their examination of the reasons responsible for criminal behavior among juveniles, Sweeten and his team went beyond exploring views on procedural justice and social controls. They also shed light on particular realities that young people face andmake them more likely to become criminals. Peer pressure and belonging to gangs are some of these factors(Sweeten, Piquero &Steinberg, 2013). Adolescents and young adults face immense pressure from their peers who urge them to embrace crime. Given that their mental capacity is not fully developed, they usually yield to the pressure. They also join gangs in an effort to fit in. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) carried out a survey to determine the composition of gangs. It was established that most gangs are composed of young individuals. The following chart represents this composition:

According to the chart above, 87% of gang members are aged 24 and below. This is indeed worrying as is suggest that gangs are exploiting the immaturity and innocence of children, adolescents and young adults. Urgent action is needed to tackle this challenge.

The study that Sweeten and his team conducted was very extensive. In addition to the issues discussed above, they also explored the role that rational choice plays in defining criminal behavior (Sweeten, Piquero &Steinberg, 2013). Rational choice concerns the views of an individual regarding the risks of criminal activity and the rewards that they stand to gain from this activity. According to Sweeten and his colleagues, it appears that adolescents and young adults find crime to be rewarding(Sweeten, Piquero &Steinberg, 2013). Furthermore, they do not feel that criminal activity carries any significant risk. Their views can be blamed on immaturity and a failure to understand life. On the other hand, older adults have a firm grasp on crime and its consequences. They understand that when convicted of a crime, they will spend years in jail and will be separated from their families. They also recognize that they will lose their jobs. Sweeten and his team allow their readers to understand that young adults are immature while older adults are wiser and carefully consider the repercussions of their actions.

Crime remains a great challenge for the United States and other countries. Efforts have been dedicated to understanding the forces that drive criminal behavior. These efforts have allowed for age to be identified as a key driver of criminal activity. Scholars have observed that as an individual enters adolescence, their risk of becoming involved in crime increases. This risk peaks when the individual attains the age of 17 or 18. From here, the risk begins to register a gradual decline. When one enters the 20s, this risk reduces drastically and continues to decline. Social controls, experiences that are unique to particular age groups and psychosocial development are some of the explanations for the relationship between crime and age. Law enforcement officials can use these explanations to understand crime better and to implement strategies for tackling crime.

References

Atkinson, P. (2013). Age and the Decline in Crime. Retrieved 2nd October 2017 from https://asunow.asu.edu/content/age-and-decline-crime

Blonigen, D. M. (2010). Explaining the Relationship between Age and Crime: Contributions From the Developmental Literature on Personality. Clinical Psychology Review, 30 (1), 89-100.

Cornelius, C. V. M., Lynch, C. J. & Gore, R. (2017). Aging out of Crime: Exploring the Relationship between Age and Crime with Agent-Based Modelling. Proceedings of The Agent-Directed Simulation Symposium, No. 3.

Loeber, R. & Farrington, D. P. (2014). Age-Crime Curve. Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 12-18. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4614-5690-2_474

Pechorro, P., Maroco, J., Nunes, R. A. G. & Jesus, S. N. (2013). Psychopathic Traits and Age Of Crime Onset in Male Juvenile Delinquents. European Journal of Criminology, 11 (3), 288-302.

Perkins, C. A. (1997). Age Patterns of Victims of Serious Violent Crime. Retrieved 2nd October 2017 from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/apvsvc.pdf

Rocque, M., Posick, C. & Hoyle, J. (2016). Age and Crime. Retrieved 2nd October 2017 From https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michael_Rocque/publication/286259570_Age_and_Crime/links/5667474b08ae34c89a023ade/Age-and-Crime.pdf

Sweeten, G., Piquero, A. R. & Steinberg, L. (2013). Age and the Explanation of Crime, Revisited. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42 (6), 921-938.

Tabachnick, C. (2015). Poll: Young Americans have “Little Confidence” in Justice System. Retrieved 2nd October 2017 from https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-young-people-have-little-confidence-in-justice-system/

Ulmer, J. T. & Steffensmeier, D. (n.d). The Age and Crime Relationship. Social Variation, Social Explanations. Retrieved 2nd September 2017 from https://www.sagepub.com/sites/default/files/upm-binaries/60294_Chapter_23.pdf

1 Image courtesy of Statistics Canada: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-561-m/2007009/figures/figure2_e.gif

2 Image courtesy of OJJDP: https://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/96natyouthgangsrvy/surv_6a.html