Citation

Crutchfield RD, Pitchford SR. Soc. Forces 1997; 76(1): 93-118.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Social Forces Journal, Publisher University of North Carolina Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to test the hypothesis that young adults employed in what dual labor market theory describes as "secondary sector jobs" are more likely to engage in crime than those in more stable jobs. The results indicate that time out of the labor force is positively related to criminal involvement, and that when workers expect their current employment to be of longer duration, they are less likely to engage in crime. We also find that the interaction between the amount of time that workers spend out of the labor force and the labor market participation rate of the population in their county of residence is significantly related to criminality.