Introduction
There is a well-established relationship between adolescent fatherhood and delinquent behavior. In addition, per the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, delinquent behavior among young males is one of the most influential risk factors for becoming a parent during their adolescent years. Research on delinquent adolescent fathers has largely ignored the possible positive effects that fatherhood poses for this subpopulation. Further, they suggest individuals who are securely bonded are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior being that they have a greater stake in conformity. While this study does not intend to specially test life course theory, the life course framework allows us to conceptualize how fatherhood …show more content…
As hypothesized the effect of teen fatherhood on property crimes is negative, indicating that the expected number of property crimes committed drops after delinquent teens became fathers; however, this effect was not statistically significant. Our hypothesis regarding the effect of residential fatherhood status received somewhat greater support, as the expected number of property crimes committed by teenage fathers in data rounds when they lived in the same household as their children was approximately 25 % less than in periods before fatherhood and this difference was statistically significant at the 0.10 level. For both assault and drug sales, teen fatherhood had no effect on the expected number of these offenses, and while the effect of residential fatherhood was negative on both outcomes indicating a reduction in offending in periods in which fathers reside with their children these effects were not statistically significant. While the effect of residential fatherhood on marijuana use is only marginally larger than the effect of nonresidential fatherhood, its effect on hard drug use is much larger than that of nonresidential fatherhood. In regards to arrest, the effect of fatherhood is positive indicating more arrests in periods after entering teen fatherhood, an ending that supports our hypothesis the positive effect is due solely to the fact that fathers had greater numbers of arrests in periods of nonresidential fatherhood. The expected number of arrests in periods of residential fatherhood was slightly less than in periods of no fatherhood, lending some support to our second
There is a well-established relationship between adolescent fatherhood and delinquent behavior. In addition, per the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, delinquent behavior among young males is one of the most influential risk factors for becoming a parent during their adolescent years. Research on delinquent adolescent fathers has largely ignored the possible positive effects that fatherhood poses for this subpopulation. Further, they suggest individuals who are securely bonded are less likely to engage in delinquent behavior being that they have a greater stake in conformity. While this study does not intend to specially test life course theory, the life course framework allows us to conceptualize how fatherhood …show more content…
As hypothesized the effect of teen fatherhood on property crimes is negative, indicating that the expected number of property crimes committed drops after delinquent teens became fathers; however, this effect was not statistically significant. Our hypothesis regarding the effect of residential fatherhood status received somewhat greater support, as the expected number of property crimes committed by teenage fathers in data rounds when they lived in the same household as their children was approximately 25 % less than in periods before fatherhood and this difference was statistically significant at the 0.10 level. For both assault and drug sales, teen fatherhood had no effect on the expected number of these offenses, and while the effect of residential fatherhood was negative on both outcomes indicating a reduction in offending in periods in which fathers reside with their children these effects were not statistically significant. While the effect of residential fatherhood on marijuana use is only marginally larger than the effect of nonresidential fatherhood, its effect on hard drug use is much larger than that of nonresidential fatherhood. In regards to arrest, the effect of fatherhood is positive indicating more arrests in periods after entering teen fatherhood, an ending that supports our hypothesis the positive effect is due solely to the fact that fathers had greater numbers of arrests in periods of nonresidential fatherhood. The expected number of arrests in periods of residential fatherhood was slightly less than in periods of no fatherhood, lending some support to our second