Culture,Peers, and Delinquency

SUMMARY

A community-peer model of delinquency shows how family, school, and neighborhood variables affect adolescent peers groups, which then affect the likelihood of juvenile delinquency. The findings on culture and gender presented in the studies in this volume are discussed in relation to this model. Overall, the findings support the communitypeer model for males across the various cultural groups. Incarcerated females, however, attributed their delinquency more to family than to peers. Additional research is needed to clarify this difference. Implications for assessment, prevention, and intervention are discussed.