Citation

Powell D, Perreira KM, Mullan Harris K. Youth Soc. 2010; 41(4): 475-502.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0044118X09338503

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Rising immigration rates to the United States have been associated with increased public sentiment against immigrant populations and fears that immigration will lead to escalations in crime and delinquency. However, surprisingly few researchers have studied delinquency among immigrant youth overall or in comparison with U.S.-born youth. Guided by a life-course perspective, this article uses three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to describe longitudinal variations in delinquency by gender, race/ethnicity, immigrant generation, coethnic community concentration, and their interactions. The article finds that first-generation Asian females and second-generation Hispanic females have the highest risk of delinquency during early adolescence. During late adolescence, Asian and Hispanic third-plus generation youth have the highest risk of delinquency. However, as youth transition to adulthood, the rates of delinquency for all population groups converge.