Abstract:
In the past decade, young people in the United States have been
two to three times more likely than in the two previous decades to
commit homicides, while those 25 years and older have been less
likely to commit homicides than were members of their age groups
in the earlier time period. These changes in youth homicide rates
are associated with two cohort characteristics that are theoretically
linked to criminality: relative size of cohorts and the percentage of
cohort members born to unwed mothers. These effects persist
throughout the life span, are independent of age and historical period,
and can explain fluctuations in homicide arrest rates before the
recent upturn.