'Might Not Be a Tomorrow': A Multi-Methods Approach to Anticipated Early Death and Youth Crime

49 Pages Posted: 25 Nov 2008

See all articles by Timothy Brezina

Timothy Brezina

Georgia State University

Erdal Tekin

Georgia State University - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Volkan Topalli

Georgia State University

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Abstract

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.

Keywords: crime, youth

JEL Classification: K0, K42

Suggested Citation

Brezina, Timothy and Tekin, Erdal and Topalli, Volkan, 'Might Not Be a Tomorrow': A Multi-Methods Approach to Anticipated Early Death and Youth Crime. IZA Discussion Paper No. 3831, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1305815 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1305815

Timothy Brezina (Contact Author)

Georgia State University ( email )

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Erdal Tekin

Georgia State University - Department of Economics ( email )

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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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Volkan Topalli

Georgia State University ( email )

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Atlanta, GA 30303-3083
United States

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