Predictors of General Deviance in the Context of COVID-19.

This study examined predictors of individual general deviance (i.e., substance use, risk-taking, property crime, and interpersonal conflict/violence) within the context of COVID-19, focusing on the role of prior deviance, opportunities for crime, and levels of COVID-19- related stress. Our study showed that while some predictors relating to opportunity and strain were predictive of general deviance during the pandemic, few maintained statistical significance once controls for deviant behavior before the pandemic were included in the analyses, indicating the importance of within-individual behavioral stability over time. Further, respondents who participated in deviance prior to the pandemic were more likely to engage in other forms of criminal and high-risk activities during the pandemic. The close connections between criminal and high-risk behavior may imply that even if overall crime rates decreased during the pandemic, within-person behavioral patterns remained stable.

Substance use behavior among Hispanic emerging adults in Los Angeles, California.

This research examined illicit drug use and substance abuse disorders among Hispanic emerging adults using a two time-point study. Hypothesized predictors included concurrent use of different types of substances in adolescence and early adulthood (illicit drug use, binge alcohol use, and cigarette-smoking), along with the socialization context (family, peer, school, and other contextual factors) in adolescence. Overall, the findings showed that emerging adults who engaged in binge use of alcohol reported higher levels of illicit drug use and substance abuse disorders. Smoking cigarettes was associated with higher levels of illicit drug use in emerging adulthood, but not substance use disorders. Illicit drug use and binge alcohol use in adolescence were linked to higher levels of illicit drug use in emerging adulthood. Further, respondents who engaged in higher levels of illicit drug use, binge drinking, and smoking in adolescence were more likely to report higher levels of substance use disorders in early adulthood, signaling the importance of assessing adolescent drug use as a critical period for curbing long-term substance use-related impairment. Sibling alcohol use, college aspirations, and perceived discrimination during adolescence were also predictive of higher levels of substance use disorders in early adulthood. Higher academic achievement in adolescence, however, was associated with lower levels of illicit drug use in emerging adulthood. Lastly, males reported higher levels of illicit drug use and substance abuse disorders than females.

An analysis of the self-control and criminal versatility of gang and dating violence offenders.

How versatile are gang and dating violence offenders? Current gang research highlights the versatility of gang members, yet the versatility of intimate violence offenders is often unexamined. Gottfredson and Hirschi, A General Theory of Crime (1990), support the idea of versatile rather than specialized offenders and suggests that low self-control is associated with a host of criminal and noncriminal risk-taking activities. Using data from a self-report sample of 1139 youths in grades 9 through 11, we investigated both the versatility of gang and dating violence offenders and theoretical variables associated with each. We find disproportionate offending by dating and gang violence offenders in a variety of crimes, as well as considerable overlap in the independent variables associated with both types of violence. Low levels of self-control and exposure to general and crime-specific criminal opportunities are significantly associated with engaging in dating and gang violence.