TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Co-offender ties and the criminal career
JO  - Journal of research in crime and delinquency
A1  - Lantz, Brendan
A1  - Hutchison, Robert
SP  - 658
EP  - 690
VL  - 52
IS  - 5
N2  - OBJECTIVES:This study aims to assess three related aspects of co-offending networks: (1) the characteristics of co-offending groups and the duration of group offending careers, (2) the impact of membership in co-offending groups on total offending and the length of individual offending careers, and (3) the impact of offender arrest (or changes in co-offending group structure) on the offending patterns of connected co-offenders.<br><br>METHODS:Data on sentenced burglary offenders (N = 270) in one county in Pennsylvania from 2001 to 2010 are used to examine the impact of co-offending group membership, as well as the relationship between the changing network structure and the offending patterns of connected co-offenders, within a two-level modeling framework.<br><br>RESULTS:Larger groups with more dispersed offending structures offend over the longest span. Additionally, membership in co-offending groups is associated with more total offending and a longer individual offending career. Finally, the arrest of structurally important offenders, compared to more peripheral offenders, is significantly associated with the decreased offending of connected co-offenders.<br><br>CONCLUSIONS:The removal of a highly central "instigator" or "recruiter" is associated with desistance among connected co-offenders. Future research should examine the mechanisms behind these effects, and why the arrest of co-offending partners is associated with desistance.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-4278
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0022427815576754
ID  - ref1
ER  -