A Longitudinal Study of Delinquency Abstention

Abstract

A sizable majority of individuals report involvement in at least some delinquency during their lives. The small percentage of individuals who abstain from delinquency represents an interesting, yet underdeveloped area of research. The purpose of this article is to provide a general model for abstention from learning and integrated theories and propose a standard framework for operationalizing and measuring delinquency abstention. Data from Waves 1 to –9 of the National Youth Survey Family Study were used. Results are supportive of the integrated approach using suggested abstention measurement procedures. Predictors from learning theory had a more robust impact compared to social control variables.