Citation
Brezina, Timothy; Tekin, Erdal; & Topalli, Volkan (2008). "Might not be a tomorrow": A multi-methods approach to anticipated early death and youth crime. National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series. vol. No. 14279Abstract
A number of researchers point to the anticipation of early death, or a sense of "futurelessness," as a contributing factor to youth crime and violence. Young people who perceive a high probability of early death, it is argued, may have little reason to delay gratification for the promise of future benefits, as the future itself is discounted. Consequently, these young people tend to pursue high-risk behaviors associated with immediate rewards, including crime and violence. Although existing studies lend empirical support to these arguments and show a statistical relationship between anticipated early death and youth crime, this support remains tentative. Moreover, a number of questions remain regarding the interpretation of this relationship, the meanings that offenders attach to the prospect of early death, and the causal mechanisms that link anticipated early death to youth crime. In this paper, we address the limitations of previous studies using a multi-methods approach, involving the analyses of national survey data and in-depth interviews with active street offenders.URL
http://www.nber.org/papers/w14279Notes
Author contact info: Timothy Brezina Department of Criminal Justice 1227 Urban Life Building Atlanta GA 30302-4018 E-Mail: tbrezina@gsu.edu Erdal Tekin School of Public Affairs American University 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016-8070 Tel: (202) 885-6361 E-Mail: tekin@american.edu Volkan Topalli Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology Andrew Young School of Policy Studies 1225 Urban Life Building Atlanta GA 30302 Georgia E-Mail: vtopalli@gsu.eduReference Type
Journal ArticleJournal Title
National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper SeriesAuthor(s)
Brezina, TimothyTekin, Erdal
Topalli, Volkan