Higher education and criminal offending over the life course

Jason A. Ford, Ryan D. Schroeder

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Scopus citations

Abstract

Educational attainment and school bonding are established predictors of delinquent behavior. In spite of an abundance of research on the relationship between education and delinquency, there is little research that examines the impact of education on stability and change in criminal offending over the life course. This dearth of research is surprising given the increasing significance of post-secondary education in contemporary society and the prominence of the life course approach in the study of crime. The current study uses seven waves of data from the National Youth Survey to examine the impact of higher education on criminal offending over the life course. Findings indicate that college attendance and investment in higher education are negatively associated with criminal offending in adulthood. In addition, the protective effect of higher education is stronger for individuals who were more delinquent during adolescence. Study limitations and future research needs are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)32-58
Number of pages27
JournalSociological Spectrum
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Sociology and Political Science

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