IMMIGRATION AND SELF-REPORTED DELINQUENCY: THE INTERPLAY OF IMMIGRATION GENERATIONS, GENDER, RACE, AND ETHNICITY

ABSTRACT

The present study examines self-reported delinquency among youths of different immigration generations, seeking to understand the relationship between immigration status and delinquency. Results of data analysis indicate a complex pattern of delinquency distributed between immigration generations across gender, racial, and ethnic subgroups for different types of delinquency. Higher immigration generations are associated with higher self-reported delinquency rates for some offenses among some racial, ethnic, and gender subgroups. These findings shed new lights on the understanding of the immigration-delinquency relationship, suggest the role of segmented assimilation in shaping youth behavior, and emphasize the importance of gender, race, and ethnicity in understanding the assimilation process and its effects on delinquency.