The age crime curve shows the peak in adolescent offending and refers to the view that most offending occurs during adolescents. Offending does tend to peak during adolescence due to a decrease in parental control, an increase in irritability, an increase in impulsivity, an increase in peer pressure and a decrease in rational thinking and self control. Adolescents have an increased want of the material things that adults have (Farrington,1986). The combination of these factors puts adolescents at a higher risk for becoming delinquent, which helps explain why offending tends to peak during adolescence (Carriaga, 2013).
One reason crime peaks during adolescents is because adolescents act out in front of peers. They do this to either show off or to appear cool to their group and get more status amongst their peers. Peers motivate each other to offend (Stolzenberg Stewart, 2008). Adolescents commonly offend in groups. This is most likely for drug use, vandalism, robbery and car theft. If adolescents are friends with delinquent peers their delinquent behavior is likely to influence them and they are more likely to also engage in delinquent behavior (Durrant, 2013).
Economic factors also impact on the age-crime curve. Adolescents are often excluded from the labour market or are given part-time jobs that are often low paid. They have do…show more content… Compared to life course persistent offenders, they have late-onset delinquency, occurring somewhere between the ages of 8 and 14. Occasionally, adolescence limited offenders will take a break from criminal activity, displaying crime-free phases in their brief criminal careers. Their delinquent behavior typically peaks in late adolescence around 15-19 years of age, which is attributed to the continuing increase in numbers of adolescents who begin to engage in delinquency (Moffitt,