Authors: KING, RYAN D.¹; MASSOGLIA, MICHAEL²; MACMILLAN, ROSS³

Source: Criminology, Volume 45, Number 1, February 2007 , pp. 33-65(33)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Abstract:

Marriage is central to theoretical debates over stability and change in criminal offending over the life course. Yet, unlike other social ties such as employment, marriage is distinct in that it cannot be randomly assigned in survey research to more definitively assess causal effects of marriage on offending. As a result, key questions remain as to whether different individual propensities toward marriage shape its salience as a deterrent institution. Building on these issues, the current research has three objectives. First, we use a propensity score matching approach to estimate causal effects of marriage on crime in early adulthood. Second, we assess sex differences in the effects of marriage on offending. Although both marriage and offending are highly gendered phenomena, prior work typically focuses on males. Third, we examine whether one's propensity to marry conditions the deterrent capacity of marriage. Results show that marriage suppresses offending for males, even when accounting for their likelihood to marry. Furthermore, males who are least likely to marry seem to benefit most from this institution. The influence of marriage on crime is less robust for females, where marriage reduces crime only for those with moderate propensities to marry. We discuss these findings in the context of recent debates concerning gender, criminal offending, and the life course.

Keywords: marriage; crime; propensity score models; desistance; gender

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2007.00071.x

Affiliations: 1: Department of Sociology, University at Albany, SUNY. 2: Department of Sociology and Crime, Law and Justice, Pennsylvania State University. 3: Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota.

Publication date: 2007-02-01

Related content

• In this: publication
• By this: publisher
• In this Subject: Psychology ,  Law ,  Sociology
• By this author: KING, RYAN D. ;  MASSOGLIA, MICHAEL ;  MACMILLAN, ROSS

Website © Publishing Technology. Article copyright remains with the publisher, society or author(s) as specified within the article.

• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Information for advertisers