The Changing Determinants of Juvenile Crime

Abstract

Abstract Following decades of increasing crime rates in the U.S., crime participation declined substantially throughout the 1990s, and have remained low in the 2000s. Using the 1979 and 1997 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, we identify the determinants of criminal involvement and antisocial behavior. In the 1980s compared to the 2000s, youth from disadvantaged family backgrounds, those with lower skills, and those in urban areas were more disproportionately represented in crime participation. Our results suggest that most of the decline in crime is related to changes in the socio-economic environment and public policy shifts.