title: Estimating the effect of gang membership on nonviolent and violent delinquency: a counterfactual analysis.
abstract: This study reconsiders the well-known link between gang membership and criminal involvement. Recently developed analytical techniques enabled the approximation of an experimental design to determine whether gang members, after being matched with similarly situated nongang members, exhibited greater involvement in nonviolent and violent delinquency. Findings indicated that while gang membership is a function of self-selection, selection effects alone do not account for the greater involvement in delinquency exhibited by gang members. After propensity score matching was employed, gang members maintained a greater involvement in both nonviolent and violent delinquency when measured cross-sectionally, but only violent delinquency when measured longitudinally. Additional analyses using inverse probability of treatment weights reaffirmed these conclusions.
authors: School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, Texas 75080, USA. jcbarnes@utdallas.edu
authors: J C
authors: JC
authors: Barnes
authors: Kevin M
authors: KM
authors: Beaver
authors: J Mitchell
authors: JM
authors: Miller
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D019548:Crime Victims; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010379:Peer Group; D057216:Propensity Score; D014481:United States; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data