Risky Living: A Comparison of Criminal Risk-Taking and Risk Perception in Adolescent and Young Adult Non Offenders and Offenders
Year: 2009
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The main purpose of this study was to assess similarities and differences in criminal risktaking and risk perception in adolescent and young adult nonoffenders and offenders.A total of 423 people (54 adolescent male nonoffenders, 69 adolescent female nonoffenders, 51 adolescent male offenders, 40 adolescent female offenders, 50 young adult male nonoffenders, 58 young adult female nonoffenders, 51 young adult male offenders, and 50 young adult female offenders) participated in this study.Participants completed six questionnaires.Two of the questionnaires assessed participants' risk-taking and four of the questionnaires assessed participants' risk perception.Significant age, gender, and offender status differences were found between participants in terms of criminal risk-taking and risk perception.When significant results were obtained, in general, young adults, males, and offenders engaged in more risk-taking and viewed engagement in criminal risk behaviors as less risky than adolescents, females, and nonoffenders, respectively.Depending on how risk perception was measured and on the criminal risk behaviors used, different results were obtained.This highlights the importance of assessing various types of risk perception and assessing criminal risk behaviors by crime domains.In addition it was also found that risk perception can be used to predict risk-taking.This study demonstrates the need to further explore this topic in order to ensure adolescents are treated fairly in the juvenile justice system and to provide the best possible intervention and treatment programs.iii I dedicate this dissertation to my mom who always taught me to shoot for the stars and to my husband who always believed I could reach them.iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Marie Tisak and John Tisak for their constant support and guidance on this project and throughout my graduate studies.You both were always so encouraging and enthusiastic about this project.Also, I would like to thank my dissertation committee members, Stephen Cernkovich and Carolyn Tompsett, for their provoking questions and thoughtful comments.Thank you to all my friends and fellow graduate students for encouraging me during this process.I will always cherish our dinner and movie nights together.I would like to thank the school, detention center, and jail officials for believing in me and this project and allowing me to collect data at their facilities.Also, to everyone who participated in this study, I truly appreciate you giving your time to help a stranger in her quest for knowledge.Finally, I would like to thank my family.Especially, thank you to my mom for being my hero
Author: Kimberly R. Laurene
Institution: Bowling Green State University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1780212426