Peer Influences on Offending

Abstract

This chapter details some important literature related to peers, delinquency, and development, offering a sense of how those parallel findings should be viewed in relation to one another when considering offending behavior. It next considers the theoretical perspectives that have incorporated peer influences in their core tenets. The chapter assesses the ways in which peers and gangs fit into the practical literature on crime prevention. It also looks at how justice response might account for peer influences on offending behavior, describing some areas that offer opportunities for growth in knowledge with respect to the role of peers in offending over the life course. Finally, the chapter explores the opportunities to expand the empirical evidence base and also discusses the prospects of this specific area of this literature for contributing more generally to the understanding of crime and societal response.